The Commandment of the Church Militant

Sermon transcript

Please remain standing for the reading of God’s word. Tonight’s passage is from Matthew chapter 28 verses 16 through 20. You can find it in the Pew Bible on page 993. Matthew chapter 28 verses 16 through 20. Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them, and when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and behold I am with you always to the end of the age. Let us pray. Lord, once again we thank you that you have preserved your word for us.

That 2,000 years after the Apostles wrote down these words, that we still have access to the words of Christ and to the command that he gave the Apostles. I pray, O Lord, that as we read these words, as we hear the word preached, that you would open all of our hearts so that we would receive your words and that we would act upon them. O Lord, I pray that your spirit would be upon me, that I would speak only the truth, and that these words would be an encouragement to your people, that they would lead them closer to Christ. And I pray, O Lord, that as we study your word, that we would be more motivated to bring the gospel to the unreached. In Christ’s name we pray, amen. You may be seated. William E.

Gladstone, a former Prime Minister of Britain, once wrote there is but one question of the hour, how to bring the truth of God’s Word into vital contact with the minds and hearts of all classes of people. While this quote may sound like an exaggeration, it does get to the heart of the command that Jesus gave his disciples in our passage this evening. And that is that the gospel is to be taken to every tribe, every nation, and every tongue, that disciples be made out of all of those from every corner of the world. Now much ink has been spilled trying to understand and apply this passage. And almost every single word that Jesus proclaims in this passage has significance. And there is much more that could be said and should be said than I will say tonight, but for the sake of time we will limit the study of tonight’s passage to a more broader exposition of the Great Commission.

Some questions that arise from the text that you may have may be addressed tonight and others I might not have the time to get to. But hopefully through tonight you will have a better understanding of what Christ is commanding us. And to do so, to rightly understand this passage, we will consider the following from our passage. First, the command’s foundation. The command’s foundation from verses 16 through 18. Next, the command itself from verses 19 through 20. Lastly, the promise for those who keep the command in verse 20. The promise for those who keep the command in verse 20. Let us now consider the command, the command’s foundation in verses 19 through 20. Before his crucifixion, Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 26 verse 32 that he would meet them in Galilee. And he confirmed this message through the women after his resurrection in chapter 28 verse 10.

In an obedience to Jesus’s command, the disciples gathered on that hill would become one of the most significant events in history for the church. It was there 2,000 years ago that Jesus gave his apostles the church’s mission statement. Matthew reports that when the disciples saw Jesus, they worshiped him, though some doubted. Now this likely does not mean that they doubted that Jesus had truly risen, because John chapter 20 shows that those doubts had already been resolved. A more plausible understanding is that when they reached the mountain, they were still some distance from Jesus. And once Jesus came closer, they then recognized him. This is supported by the very next verse, which says that after some of them had worshiped Jesus, Jesus them came closer. And when Jesus did so, he declared, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

These words, in these words, Jesus is proclaiming the foundation on which he stands to command his disciples to go out into the world and proclaim the gospel. John Calvin writes in regards to Jesus’s declaration the following, No ordinary authority would here have been enough, but sovereign and truly divine government ought to be possessed by him who commands them to promise eternal life in his name, to reduce the whole world under his sway, and to publish a doctrine which subdues all pride and lays prostrate the whole of the human race. In other words, if one is to dare to set the goal of the church and to send out the disciples to carry out that goal, he must have divine authority, and Jesus does. But what does Jesus mean when he says that all authority has been given to him?

Didn’t Jesus already possess all authority? Because isn’t Jesus God? Well, we find the answer to this question in Daniel chapter 7. Please turn with me to Daniel chapter 7. Let’s read Daniel chapter 7 verses 13 through 14, Daniel chapter 7 verses 13 through 14. Verse 13, I saw in the night visions and behold with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man and he came to the ancient of days and was presented before him and to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples nations and languages should serve him his dominion is everlasting is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away in his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. We see in Daniel’s vision that from hundreds of years before Jesus came to this earth Daniel prophesied what occurred in our passage this evening.

According to Daniel, the son of man would come and he would be given dominion over all nations all peoples and over all who speak and over all languages and the reason that this would occur is that so that the gospel could go forth to all nations and Jesus fulfilled this very vision. The first federal head of all mankind that is Adam failed to uphold the covenant of works and thus lost his rightful place as authority over the earth. Instead Satan usurped Adam’s authority and thus he ruled the earth. Not in any absolute sense as God ultimately rules all things but in a confined sense Satan had power over the nations and Satan as we read earlier offered this very power to Jesus in the desert when he tempted him. According to Satan Jesus would not have to go through the pain of the cross or through the wrath of his father.

All he had to do was submit to Satan and he would receive this authority but Jesus Jesus understood that this reward could only be received from the father. He understood that he could only receive it if he conquered sin and death through his death and resurrection and thus Jesus resisted Satan’s temptations. Thus Jesus submitted to the father. Jesus fulfilled the law and Jesus did what the first Adam failed to do and thus the God man that is Jesus was given dominion over all the earth by his father. This authority that the father gave him was the basis for the commandment which followed. Verse 19 begins with go therefore meaning on the basis of what I’ve said in verse 18 therefore go and preach the gospel to the ends of the earth. So the reason that Jesus gives for why the gospel can now go forth from Jerusalem to all the ends of the earth is because the father has bestowed the authority on the son and Paul confirms this fact in Philippians chapter 2.

There he writes being found in human form he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and on under the earth and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father. This is the moment that the Old Testament scriptures have been anticipating. He has brought the kingdom of God he has conquered sin and death and he has risen from the dead. Now the gospel can go forth to the ends of the earth and this brings us to our second point which is the commandment itself. Based on this authority Jesus commands his disciples in verse 19 and 20 go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

In English it’s not very clear but in the Greek it becomes clear that these are not three separate commands. It’s not that they are to go and just make disciples and baptize and command rather it is one command to go and make disciples and they are to do so by baptizing and by teaching all that Jesus had commanded. We learn from this that it’s clear that Jesus is not merely commanding some modern methods of soul winning where the sinner says a sinner’s prayer and never comes to church. Rather what he desires is the conversion and the maturing of the believer’s faith. As one commentator notes the Commission, the Great Commission that is, is far more comprehensive than is normally understood. It consists of the aggressive worldwide discipling of people who are initiated into the visible communion of Christ increasingly obedient to every everything that he commanded.

Evangelism is only one aspect of the Commission. It is not, it is not its distilled essence. Obedience to the commands of Christ is the goal of the Commission not merely initial conversion. Thus Jesus is commanding his disciples to go to the ends of the earth and not merely to create converts who have a vague understanding of the gospel but to create disciples of Christ who understand and follow all that Jesus has commanded them. Questions remain regarding this command. For example, to whom does it apply? Does it, does the command continue to be in effect and how do you, the believer, help to carry out this command? Now some argue that the Great Commission was given to the disciples as representative Christians and therefore applies to all Christians directly and equally. However, the text does not support this.

Matthew seems to be emphasizing the unique nature of this command by showing that Jesus summoned specifically the eleven disciples to the mountain. And the passage indicates that they were alone, they alone were present to receive it. Furthermore, the command to baptize is a responsibility giving to ordained ministers alone. As one pastor noted, it is impossible to apply the Commission individually to each Christian since it explains discipling the nations in terms of baptizing and teaching. Both of these activities were the official duty of the ordained and could not be passed on to the Christian individual. But the command must apply to more than just the eleven disciples because how could just eleven men go to the ends of the earth? The disciples whom Paul describes in Ephesians 2 as the foundation of the church received the Great Commission on behalf of the entire church, as Christians but as Christ’s anointed representatives.

But what does this mean? This means that the Apostles obeyed Jesus by preaching the gospel, planting churches, appointing ministers and elders to lead those churches. And these ministers then continued the work of that Christ had entrusted to the Apostles. Since the command involved reaching the ends of the earth, it was never intended for the eleven to fulfill alone. Its scope requires the ongoing ministry carried out through ordained leaders. And we see this confirmed in Ephesians chapter 4. Please turn there with me to Ephesians chapter 4, verses 8 through 13. Ephesians 4, 8 through 13. Verse 8. Therefore it says, when he ascended on high he led a host of captives and he gave gifts to men. In saying he ascended, what does it mean? But that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth.

He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave the Apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and the teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood. Now the word here in English for ministry in verse 12 is probably better translated as service because in our modern English ministry has a loaded meaning of teaching and sharing the gospel as a vocation. But that is not what the Apostle means here in Ephesians 4. He means for the service of the saints, to love, help, teach, encourage, support, care for, and strengthen others. So understanding that, Paul in Ephesians 4 is teaching that Jesus has raised up Apostles, but not only Apostles, he has also raised up evangelists and shepherds and teachers in order to make disciples of all nations, to build up the saints and to bring the gospel to the elect who do not yet believe.

Thus, Jesus gave the command to the Apostles as the representative heads of the church and equips the church to fulfill, to continue to fulfill the Great Commission chiefly by giving it teachers and preachers and evangelists. But is this command still binding on the church? Because some say that the command was given to the Apostles and it lasted until the New Testament was ended. But we see that this is not the case from other passages like 2nd Peter chapter 3. Please turn there with me. This is the last passage that you’re gonna have to turn to. 2nd Peter chapter 3, we are gonna read from verses 1 through 9. 2nd Peter 3 verses 1 through 9. Verse 1. This is now the second letter that I am writing to you beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder that you should remember the predictions of the Holy Prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your Apostles, knowing first of all that scoffers will come in the last days of scoffing following their own sinful desires.

Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the Fathers fell asleep all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. For they deliberately overlooked this fact that the heavens existed long ago and that the earth was formed out of water and through water by the Word of God and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same Word the heavens and the earth that now exist are stored up for fire being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. This is the important part. But do not overlook this one fact beloved that with the Lord one day is a thousand years and a thousand years is as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill this promise as some count slowness but as patient toward you not wishing that any should perish but that all should reach repentance.

We don’t have the time to confirm this fact tonight but the commandment that Peter mentions in verse 1 refers to the commandment that Jesus gave the Apostles in Matthew 28. In other words, Peter is telling the church in all Christians to remember this commandment. Why? Because Jesus according to Peter will not come back until all the elect are brought into the fold as he says in verse 9. Some say that Jesus is slow to come back but Peter says it’s because they have forgotten the commandment of the Lord. They have forgotten that there are many still yet lost who the Father has chosen who must be brought in. There were some who had lost sight of the mission statement of the church and Peter is urging them to remember the commandment and to press on.

Now using the same logic that Peter does we must conclude that because Jesus has not yet come back the command still stands. One of the church’s primary goal remains to bring the gospel to the remote remotest parts of the earth to bring the elect into the fold and to disciple them in all that Jesus taught us. And this brings us to our third question which is what role do you play in fulfilling this command? Now you might be thinking to yourself at this point what role could I play when the command is only given to the Apostles and to the ministers and to the evangelists? The answer is that the command is given to the church as a whole and the duty primarily lies at the feet of the evangelist and to the pastors and to those who are called to the work but this does not mean the individual believer cannot support and further the mission the mission of the church.

We are all members of the body of Christ and thus participate in carrying out the mission of the church by giving by praying by encouraging by teaching our children and yes by sharing the gospel in our personal everyday lives. This is not to say that we should place an undue burden on the believer that the scriptures do not. That somehow we should all meet a quota of sharing our faith. Do not take every single chance that you have to share the gospel with an unbeliever you are somehow sinning. The primary responsibility does lie with those whom the Lord has gifted but this does mean that the individual believer should not or cannot help in the ways that he has been gifted. An analogy to this is that Jesus has gifted some to be teachers of the world or the word I’m sorry.

The church does not let anyone and everyone who desires teach the church yet the scriptures are clear in both the Old and the New Testaments that fathers and mothers are to teach their children about the wonderful works of God and scriptures. So while the primary primary responsibility rests with the teachers of the word there is some responsibility that remains for the individual private lives. And likewise while we are not all called to the special work of evangelism that we cannot play a part by inviting unbelievers to the church or by encouraging them to Christ to turn to Christ in a time of difficulty. When you get a chance to speak of Christ from the scriptures or even more simply to speak of what Christ has done in your own life. When you get a chance to do so to an unbeliever who is around you take advantage of that beautiful chance.

That may be one of the only times that that man gets to hear about Christ. It is a good and loving thing to desire that those who are dying and their sins and trespasses know the same peace that you have in Christ Jesus. So tell them even in simple terms the love of Christ and if you cannot do so just invite them to church and all of these things help the church further her goal to carry out the Great Commission. So then just as Peter encouraged the Saints of old be stirred up or rather literally wake up and remember the commandment of our Lord so that we must that we must bring the gospel to every tribe to every nation and to every tongue and remember the reality that the work of the church is not complete.

Come back until all who the Father has chosen from before the foundation of the world are brought into the fold. This brings us to our third and final point that is the promise for those who carry out Jesus’s command. Let us return to our passage in Matthew 28. Jesus did not leave the Apostles alone and he has not left us alone to carry out this great command. He says in verse 20 and behold I am with you always to the end of the age. The work of the Great Commission is not easy work. There have been many missionaries and many pastors and many individual believers who have been persecuted and even killed for sharing the gospel to those who do not know Christ and even if you are not killed the idea of giving up the comfortable lifestyle in America where all your family and friends live and going out to a different country is a daunting one.

Even the idea of moving from one state to another to minister in a congregation there is a daunting one. These are truly difficult decisions and there will be hardship along the way. Growing up on the mission field there was much hardship and much pain that existed for us precisely because we were in a foreign culture as missionaries. But the question for us should not be what if it’s difficult or what if problems arise. We can all think of all kinds of issues that might arise if one is to be called to be a pastor or a missionary. The question should not be what if but rather it should be how is it that the believer will be sustained when he takes on this difficulty and hardship. He answers this question in two ways. First he assures the disciples in verse 18 that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him thus they should go boldly trusting that Christ will bless them and work through them if they are faithful to him.

Second he promises to be with them to the end of the age. That is wherever those who are called to carry out the Great Commission go their God will be with them. This should be a great comfort to us because as believers we know that we are weak and we know that we make mistakes and when we consider the work that is before us we often buckle in fear. But Jesus will sustain us and to work in us so that we can carry out this work. Remember what the great apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians. But he said to me my grace is sufficient for you my power is made perfect in weakness therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me for the sake of Christ then I am content with my weaknesses with insults with hardship persecutions and calamities for when I am weak then I am so if you are considering ministry or missions take heart because Christ will be with you if you are a believer and have a different vocation take heart for Christ will be with you as you seek to help the church carry out the mission that Christ gave her.

The Great Commission is the carrying out of the promise that was given to Abraham to David and to the prophets that the salvation of God’s people would not be limited to the nation of Israel but that it would be for men and men and women girls and boys of every tongue and every nation. It is indeed a great task which is not yet complete so let your hearts be stirred up and remember the command which Christ gave the church pray for new missionaries and ministers to be raised up encourage those who are already doing the work and pray for them. I will end with the words that Paul left the church in Thessalonica for God has not destined us for wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him therefore encourage one another and build one another up just as you are doing we ask you brothers to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work be at peace among yourselves and we urge you brothers admonish the idol encourage the faint-hearted help the weak be patient with all see that no one repays anyone evil for evil but always seek to do good for one another and to everyone rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances let us pray Lord we thank you that you are a gracious and merciful God that you are pleased not only to bring salvation to the nation of Israel that you are pleased to bring salvation to the whole world through your son Jesus Christ we thank you a Lord that you would save sinners like us and while we were yet sinners you loved us and you gave your life for us so that we may have life in you we pray oh Lord that as we go forth from this place that each one of us would remember what Christ has done for us that we would remember the command that Jesus has given the church that we would work to help the church fulfill it in any way that we can in Christ’s name we pray Amen.

Please stand as we sing hymn number 291. hymn 291.

The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.