1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,140 Speaker: Well, hey church, welcome to, uh, a different edition of 2 00:00:04,140 --> 00:00:05,849 what we normally do on Sundays. 3 00:00:05,849 --> 00:00:09,989 This is, uh, flashbacks to recording in, in empty auditoriums 4 00:00:09,989 --> 00:00:12,599 and doing videos during shutdowns and everything else like that. 5 00:00:12,599 --> 00:00:16,500 But hey, we're, we're not meeting because the roads are not safe for us to meet and. 6 00:00:17,195 --> 00:00:22,475 We feel like this is the best thing for us to do in the best interest of our people. 7 00:00:22,625 --> 00:00:26,945 And also even just as we were looking around at what was going on in some 8 00:00:26,945 --> 00:00:30,095 of the other churches in our area, we were watching what some of them 9 00:00:30,095 --> 00:00:32,405 were doing, decisions they were making just to make sure we wanted 10 00:00:32,405 --> 00:00:33,905 to make the best decision possible. 11 00:00:33,905 --> 00:00:37,294 And we really feel like as much as we want to be in person, and as much 12 00:00:37,294 --> 00:00:39,184 as I hate that I'm doing this sermon. 13 00:00:39,725 --> 00:00:44,045 In my office, uh, I, I think this is what's, what's good for us overall 14 00:00:44,045 --> 00:00:46,985 to make sure that everybody stays safe as well as our unique position 15 00:00:46,985 --> 00:00:49,505 as a church plant was setting up and tearing down and everything else. 16 00:00:49,505 --> 00:00:50,765 So welcome to church. 17 00:00:50,795 --> 00:00:53,675 All that to say, you may notice I've got a, a little bit of a, a 18 00:00:53,675 --> 00:00:56,345 less formal look and part of that is because this is our brand new 19 00:00:56,345 --> 00:00:58,655 swag, our to live as Christ hoodie. 20 00:00:58,655 --> 00:01:01,655 It says on the back to die as gain in the same block lettering there. 21 00:01:01,655 --> 00:01:04,114 It's got our, our church right here on the sleeve. 22 00:01:04,675 --> 00:01:07,255 These are gonna be available for you next Sunday, as Lord willing 23 00:01:07,255 --> 00:01:08,905 will be back together in person. 24 00:01:08,935 --> 00:01:09,505 No charge. 25 00:01:09,505 --> 00:01:10,345 We're gonna give 'em away. 26 00:01:10,345 --> 00:01:11,035 We did a run. 27 00:01:11,035 --> 00:01:12,865 If we run outta sweatshirts, we'll order more. 28 00:01:13,255 --> 00:01:15,835 Uh, but we'd love for you to grab these and to wear 'em around and to 29 00:01:15,835 --> 00:01:20,725 represent our church and really, uh, to represent what it is saying on the front. 30 00:01:20,725 --> 00:01:22,615 And this has a lot to do with what we're talking about today, 31 00:01:22,615 --> 00:01:24,385 and that is to live is Christ. 32 00:01:24,865 --> 00:01:27,865 Uh, as we've been meeting together and, and talking about what the 33 00:01:27,865 --> 00:01:30,955 church is, we've looked at week one, the church being the called 34 00:01:30,955 --> 00:01:32,604 out ones that are called to gather. 35 00:01:32,604 --> 00:01:36,265 We talked about gathering under ecclesial authority, gathering under, 36 00:01:36,715 --> 00:01:40,555 uh, the, the authority of the word of God as handled by the, the pastors 37 00:01:40,555 --> 00:01:41,935 that God has entrusted to the church. 38 00:01:41,935 --> 00:01:45,384 And then last week we looked at gathering together and being 39 00:01:45,384 --> 00:01:46,914 called out and into community. 40 00:01:47,285 --> 00:01:50,465 That we have to have these relationships with each other, these one-on-one 41 00:01:50,465 --> 00:01:54,365 life, on life relationships that are essential to us doing what we're 42 00:01:54,365 --> 00:01:58,265 called to do as believers to stir one another up towards love and good works. 43 00:01:58,265 --> 00:02:01,325 Well, today we're gonna wrap up this series on the church, and I wish we were 44 00:02:01,325 --> 00:02:05,225 doing it together, but still nonetheless, we're, we're doing it this way. 45 00:02:05,554 --> 00:02:08,584 Uh, we are wrapping up the series on the church here by focusing 46 00:02:08,584 --> 00:02:10,535 in on being called out to. 47 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:12,840 Be commissioned, called out to be commissioned. 48 00:02:13,260 --> 00:02:16,590 Uh, not only have we been called to gather, and this is ironic, don't 49 00:02:16,590 --> 00:02:19,560 worry, it's not lost on me that I just preached last week about the fact that we 50 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:20,769 shouldn't neglect meeting together and. 51 00:02:21,150 --> 00:02:21,720 Here we are. 52 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:23,250 This is different though. 53 00:02:23,310 --> 00:02:24,299 This is weather related. 54 00:02:24,299 --> 00:02:27,420 This is not because we don't feel like it, but not only have we been 55 00:02:27,420 --> 00:02:30,269 called out to gather, we've been called out to gather in community. 56 00:02:30,269 --> 00:02:32,820 We've also been called out and commissioned, or 57 00:02:32,820 --> 00:02:33,510 you could put it this way. 58 00:02:33,510 --> 00:02:36,030 We've been called out to call out, and that comes back to this 59 00:02:36,030 --> 00:02:37,380 sweatshirt that I'm wearing right now. 60 00:02:37,799 --> 00:02:40,500 When Paul was saying to live is Christ in Philippians chapter one. 61 00:02:40,500 --> 00:02:43,980 What he was doing was, is he was saying, my whole life is about honoring Christ. 62 00:02:43,980 --> 00:02:44,790 In fact, he says that. 63 00:02:44,790 --> 00:02:47,850 He says, whether I'm gonna live or I'm gonna die. 64 00:02:48,540 --> 00:02:51,840 My bent, my goal in life is to exalt Jesus. 65 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:54,060 I wanna make sure that Christ is exalted in my life. 66 00:02:54,060 --> 00:02:56,070 And he was doing that to live his Christ for Paul. 67 00:02:56,430 --> 00:03:00,900 I mean, he was chained to Roman soldiers and he was telling them about the gospel. 68 00:03:01,049 --> 00:03:05,340 He was in prison spreading the good news of eternal life in Jesus 69 00:03:05,340 --> 00:03:07,380 Christ as far and wide as he could. 70 00:03:07,650 --> 00:03:10,920 And, and so for Paul to live, his Christ wasn't, Hey, I'm gonna just wait 71 00:03:10,920 --> 00:03:13,140 around until Jesus comes back to live. 72 00:03:13,140 --> 00:03:14,820 His Christ was, I've been given a mission. 73 00:03:15,070 --> 00:03:16,239 I've been given a charge. 74 00:03:16,269 --> 00:03:18,640 I need to take the gospel to the lost. 75 00:03:18,640 --> 00:03:21,010 I need to get out and reach people for Christ. 76 00:03:21,130 --> 00:03:23,679 Have you ever wondered why we're still here as a church? 77 00:03:23,739 --> 00:03:26,829 Have you ever thought to yourself, wait a minute, if, if heaven is 78 00:03:26,829 --> 00:03:28,390 as good as they say it's gonna be. 79 00:03:28,390 --> 00:03:30,970 If, if heaven is as good as God says it's gonna be in the 80 00:03:30,970 --> 00:03:32,275 Bible, why am I still here? 81 00:03:33,010 --> 00:03:35,859 Why wouldn't he save us and then immediately call us to be with 82 00:03:35,859 --> 00:03:38,499 him if that's really better and we believe that it's better. 83 00:03:38,499 --> 00:03:39,700 In fact, Paul says it's better. 84 00:03:39,700 --> 00:03:42,579 In that same passage in Philippians chapter one, he says, I desire 85 00:03:42,579 --> 00:03:45,730 to be to depart and be with Christ for that is far better. 86 00:03:46,209 --> 00:03:47,619 But then he says something interesting. 87 00:03:47,649 --> 00:03:50,679 He says, but I'm convinced that I'm gonna stay here because there's 88 00:03:50,679 --> 00:03:52,269 work that God has for me to do. 89 00:03:52,995 --> 00:03:55,515 You in a similar fashion. 90 00:03:55,575 --> 00:04:00,015 The reason you and I are still here, the reason the church is still here is because 91 00:04:00,015 --> 00:04:03,495 God has work for us to do here that we're not gonna be able to do in heaven. 92 00:04:03,735 --> 00:04:07,395 And that is what we're gonna look at this morning together from Matthew chapter 28. 93 00:04:07,395 --> 00:04:08,775 And that's the great commission. 94 00:04:08,775 --> 00:04:09,705 So take your Bibles. 95 00:04:09,975 --> 00:04:10,755 I know you're at home. 96 00:04:10,755 --> 00:04:12,345 Maybe you're watching in your pajamas, whatever. 97 00:04:12,765 --> 00:04:13,275 Take your Bibles. 98 00:04:13,684 --> 00:04:17,089 Open 'em up to Matthew chapter 28 verses 18 through 20. 99 00:04:17,089 --> 00:04:19,190 It's a familiar passage, a familiar text. 100 00:04:19,190 --> 00:04:22,610 It's called The Great Commission and and we're gonna spend the rest of our 101 00:04:22,610 --> 00:04:26,030 time together this morning looking at the Great commission and unpacking 102 00:04:26,030 --> 00:04:29,240 together what is the work that God still has for us to do here that 103 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:30,290 we're not gonna be able to do there. 104 00:04:30,455 --> 00:04:32,435 And so the called out church is the called Out church. 105 00:04:32,435 --> 00:04:35,525 That's also the commissioned church, Matthew chapter 28. 106 00:04:35,585 --> 00:04:37,325 We're gonna read verses 18 through 20. 107 00:04:37,325 --> 00:04:38,795 I'll go ahead and read it together for us. 108 00:04:38,795 --> 00:04:43,055 It says this, and Jesus came and said to them, all authority in heaven 109 00:04:43,055 --> 00:04:44,705 and on Earth has been given to me. 110 00:04:44,825 --> 00:04:48,155 Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the 111 00:04:48,155 --> 00:04:52,505 name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe. 112 00:04:53,045 --> 00:04:57,485 All that I have commanded you, and behold, I'm with you always to the end of the age. 113 00:04:58,415 --> 00:05:01,355 And so as we pick this up, Jesus is with his disciples. 114 00:05:01,355 --> 00:05:04,325 In fact, in verse 16 it says He's with the 11 disciples. 115 00:05:04,355 --> 00:05:06,485 Sometimes, especially post-resurrection. 116 00:05:06,485 --> 00:05:09,995 When the term disciples is used, it can mean a, a large group of 117 00:05:09,995 --> 00:05:13,745 people, but it appears at this point, he's appearing to his 11. 118 00:05:14,225 --> 00:05:17,945 And it says in verse 17 that when they saw him, they, they worshiped him. 119 00:05:18,245 --> 00:05:22,055 But some of them were troubled, some of them were, were doubting in their hearts. 120 00:05:22,055 --> 00:05:25,625 We're going to come back to that in just a minute, but Jesus approaches 121 00:05:25,625 --> 00:05:29,135 them and it's important for us to set the stage here because this is not. 122 00:05:29,925 --> 00:05:33,645 After he appeared in the upper room and let Thomas feel his hands inside. 123 00:05:33,645 --> 00:05:36,675 This is not after making breakfast for, for them on the beach. 124 00:05:36,675 --> 00:05:39,405 This is early, early, early after the resurrection. 125 00:05:39,405 --> 00:05:43,125 The, these are some of the first words that the disciples are hearing from Jesus. 126 00:05:43,125 --> 00:05:46,665 You remember Jesus told the women to go tell his disciples, his, 127 00:05:46,725 --> 00:05:50,190 his, the, the disciples that were still back in the, the upper room. 128 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:52,720 Go to Galilee and you'll meet him there. 129 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:53,890 You'll see him there. 130 00:05:53,890 --> 00:05:57,460 So this is one of the earliest interactions that Jesus has 131 00:05:57,460 --> 00:05:58,780 post-resurrection with the disciples. 132 00:05:58,780 --> 00:06:02,170 And he comes up to them and he says this, he says, all authority in heaven 133 00:06:02,170 --> 00:06:03,970 and on earth has been given to me. 134 00:06:04,390 --> 00:06:06,040 Authority is in the Greek. 135 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:09,550 That, that word that means absolute power here, it's an internal authority. 136 00:06:09,550 --> 00:06:13,300 It's not one that's that's derived from a title or an office, but 137 00:06:13,300 --> 00:06:16,000 it's something that somebody possesses because of who they are. 138 00:06:16,090 --> 00:06:19,720 And Jesus says, all authority in heaven and on earth. 139 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:20,260 In other words. 140 00:06:20,895 --> 00:06:23,025 There, there's no other authority that exists. 141 00:06:23,085 --> 00:06:27,315 He has it all, and all of it has been given to him by the father. 142 00:06:27,585 --> 00:06:31,695 This calls to mind for us the interaction of Daniel chapter seven, 143 00:06:31,995 --> 00:06:34,784 where Daniel sees one, like the son of man come before the ancient of 144 00:06:34,784 --> 00:06:39,045 days, and the ancient of days gives him the the glory and the power, and. 145 00:06:39,495 --> 00:06:43,725 Everlasting kingdom, the dominion that he would rule forever and ever. 146 00:06:44,385 --> 00:06:49,245 This is Jesus, and he's stepping into at least the partial fulfillment 147 00:06:49,275 --> 00:06:54,015 of that, though the full reality of his kingdom still awaits. 148 00:06:54,105 --> 00:06:55,635 Its its culmination, though. 149 00:06:55,635 --> 00:06:58,695 It's still awaits, its ultimate fulfillment in the millennial kingdom. 150 00:06:59,055 --> 00:07:02,685 The authority that Jesus will possess when he reigns here on earth after 151 00:07:02,685 --> 00:07:05,655 he returns for his bride and sets up the millennial kingdom later on. 152 00:07:06,205 --> 00:07:08,605 The authority that he will have, he currently possesses. 153 00:07:08,605 --> 00:07:11,335 And so he approaches the disciples after his resurrection. 154 00:07:11,335 --> 00:07:12,055 And he says this. 155 00:07:12,055 --> 00:07:13,135 He says, all authority. 156 00:07:13,555 --> 00:07:17,335 All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 157 00:07:17,335 --> 00:07:21,175 But I also want you to note here that Jesus moves towards his disciples. 158 00:07:22,015 --> 00:07:25,915 His disciples who were fearful, and again, in the text to come back to it, 159 00:07:25,915 --> 00:07:27,685 it says, some of them were even doubting. 160 00:07:28,045 --> 00:07:29,395 You wonder, why would they be doubting? 161 00:07:29,395 --> 00:07:31,075 Well, I don't think that they were doubting whether or not 162 00:07:31,075 --> 00:07:32,575 Jesus was truly resurrected. 163 00:07:32,575 --> 00:07:35,605 I think that they were doubting in their hearts about what sort of welcome 164 00:07:35,605 --> 00:07:36,865 they would receive from the Savior. 165 00:07:36,865 --> 00:07:39,865 They had abandoned in his hour of greatest need. 166 00:07:39,865 --> 00:07:41,485 They were nowhere to be found. 167 00:07:41,515 --> 00:07:42,865 They fled from him. 168 00:07:43,255 --> 00:07:44,815 And so now they're wondering, okay. 169 00:07:45,105 --> 00:07:46,635 What's he going to say to us? 170 00:07:46,784 --> 00:07:49,245 What's our reception gonna be from, from him? 171 00:07:49,245 --> 00:07:50,205 What's he gonna do? 172 00:07:50,475 --> 00:07:53,985 And it's to this group of his closest followers that it says in our text, 173 00:07:53,985 --> 00:07:58,575 Jesus came to them and said to them again, Jesus is moving towards them. 174 00:07:58,575 --> 00:08:02,565 He, it's, it's in some ways a microcosm of what he does with Peter later on 175 00:08:02,565 --> 00:08:04,965 in John 21, where he restores Peter. 176 00:08:04,965 --> 00:08:09,615 This, in some essence, is Jesus restoring his relationship with the 11 disciples, 177 00:08:09,615 --> 00:08:13,500 and he's gonna do this by giving them a job, but before he gets to the job. 178 00:08:14,490 --> 00:08:18,150 He wants to establish the, the sobriety of the whole thing. 179 00:08:18,475 --> 00:08:20,670 That, that this is something to take seriously. 180 00:08:20,940 --> 00:08:25,140 This is Jesus coming to the 11 Post Resurrection and he starts out with 181 00:08:25,140 --> 00:08:28,200 this amazing statement of his authority saying, all authority in heaven 182 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:30,030 and on earth has been given to me. 183 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:32,159 This is not something to trifle with. 184 00:08:32,159 --> 00:08:33,510 This is the Lord of the universe. 185 00:08:33,510 --> 00:08:35,880 This is the glorified Christ and the disciples. 186 00:08:36,159 --> 00:08:39,250 Were meant to hear what he was about to say with the appropriate seriousness. 187 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:42,760 As you and I think about the work that God has for us to do today, still 188 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:45,430 as the church, as you and I think about, well, why aren't we in heaven? 189 00:08:45,459 --> 00:08:46,420 Why are we still here? 190 00:08:46,750 --> 00:08:49,839 What is this task that we can't do in heaven that we can do here? 191 00:08:50,140 --> 00:08:52,780 First thing that we have to understand about it is that this task is 192 00:08:52,780 --> 00:08:54,219 something to be taken seriously. 193 00:08:54,219 --> 00:08:57,430 So along those lines, our first point this week, and forgive me, I don't 194 00:08:57,430 --> 00:08:59,829 have the projector screens to put up here or anything else like that, 195 00:08:59,829 --> 00:09:01,120 but, but our first point is this. 196 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:01,839 It's pretty simple. 197 00:09:01,839 --> 00:09:03,430 All three points will be pretty simple as this. 198 00:09:04,030 --> 00:09:05,380 Take the commission. 199 00:09:05,589 --> 00:09:08,260 Seriously take the commission seriously. 200 00:09:08,680 --> 00:09:11,439 Uh, the commission being the great commission again, that's what this 201 00:09:11,439 --> 00:09:14,979 passage, Matthew Chapter 28, verses 18 through 20, that's what it's 202 00:09:14,979 --> 00:09:16,689 known as is the Great commission. 203 00:09:16,689 --> 00:09:18,010 The commission of the church. 204 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:20,650 And again, a commission is something that is, is given to 205 00:09:20,650 --> 00:09:22,329 somebody who's sent with a purpose. 206 00:09:22,329 --> 00:09:24,729 It's they're sent with a mission. 207 00:09:24,734 --> 00:09:27,219 And, and so this is what Jesus is doing with the church. 208 00:09:27,219 --> 00:09:28,930 He's sending the church with the mission. 209 00:09:28,930 --> 00:09:32,349 He's giving the church her marching orders, and the first thing that 210 00:09:32,349 --> 00:09:35,109 we need to know is he has the authority and the right to do that. 211 00:09:35,189 --> 00:09:39,749 That he has the, the power, he has the, the clout to say, 212 00:09:39,749 --> 00:09:41,670 church, this is your job. 213 00:09:41,910 --> 00:09:43,589 This is your main job. 214 00:09:43,619 --> 00:09:48,089 From this time forward, there's a lot of different types of churches. 215 00:09:48,089 --> 00:09:51,749 As we think about even just the last 2000 years of church history or even 216 00:09:51,749 --> 00:09:55,619 most recently, as you consider the, the landscape of churches in the world, 217 00:09:56,010 --> 00:09:57,300 there's all types of different churches. 218 00:09:57,675 --> 00:10:00,944 And, and there's gonna be differences and variations of doctrines here and 219 00:10:00,944 --> 00:10:04,214 there, but one thing I, I'm confident is that you won't find a church 220 00:10:04,214 --> 00:10:09,254 that's gonna stand the test of time and honor Christ without faithfully 221 00:10:09,254 --> 00:10:10,724 submitting to the Great Commission. 222 00:10:11,175 --> 00:10:11,415 Y. 223 00:10:11,415 --> 00:10:14,894 You won't find it without taking the Great Commission seriously. 224 00:10:15,254 --> 00:10:18,704 In fact, we know that this was something that Jesus cares about because in 225 00:10:18,704 --> 00:10:22,665 Revelation chapter two, he approaches a church and writes a letter to a church. 226 00:10:22,724 --> 00:10:25,185 That's the church at Ephesus. 227 00:10:25,250 --> 00:10:27,620 Now the church at Ephesus is probably a church that we would 228 00:10:27,620 --> 00:10:28,850 feel really comfortable with. 229 00:10:28,910 --> 00:10:30,800 It's a church that was doctrinally sound. 230 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:33,290 It was a church that had the right polity. 231 00:10:33,290 --> 00:10:35,810 It was a church that had the, the boxes checked. 232 00:10:35,810 --> 00:10:37,820 They were doing a lot of things really well. 233 00:10:37,820 --> 00:10:39,560 We would probably feel at home there. 234 00:10:39,950 --> 00:10:42,710 And yet Jesus levels this indictment against them. 235 00:10:42,710 --> 00:10:44,600 He says, but this I have against you. 236 00:10:44,870 --> 00:10:48,410 You've abandoned the love you had at first. 237 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:50,240 It, it's my conviction though. 238 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:52,670 There could be a lot of things there about the love and, and 239 00:10:52,670 --> 00:10:53,580 ultimately it's a love for. 240 00:10:53,795 --> 00:10:57,305 For Christ, but it's my conviction that this had to do with them abandoning their 241 00:10:57,305 --> 00:10:59,314 pursuit of the Great Commission as well. 242 00:10:59,854 --> 00:11:01,564 Obeying the great commission. 243 00:11:01,714 --> 00:11:06,094 Taking it seriously is one of the, the, the greatest ways that you 244 00:11:06,094 --> 00:11:10,025 and I can show our love for the father and our love for others. 245 00:11:10,084 --> 00:11:13,505 Remember, uh, Jesus was asked the question, teacher, what's the greatest? 246 00:11:14,119 --> 00:11:16,430 And he said this, it's to love God and love one another. 247 00:11:16,879 --> 00:11:20,689 The, the greatest commandment or the great commandment is realized in the 248 00:11:20,689 --> 00:11:24,439 Great Commission for us as believers, if we are not gonna take this seriously, 249 00:11:24,439 --> 00:11:27,410 if we're not gonna be a church that's saying we're gonna take evangelism 250 00:11:27,410 --> 00:11:31,399 and reaching the lost, seriously, then we can't claim to be a church. 251 00:11:31,399 --> 00:11:32,869 That takes the great commandment seriously. 252 00:11:33,469 --> 00:11:35,930 Because we may be a church that loves one another really well. 253 00:11:35,930 --> 00:11:37,614 We may be a church that can get into our holy huddle. 254 00:11:38,460 --> 00:11:38,760 Right. 255 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:42,810 Our, our, our consecrated clique and, and hang out there and say, look at how 256 00:11:42,810 --> 00:11:46,620 well we love each other, but if we aren't loving the lost, which we've been called 257 00:11:46,620 --> 00:11:51,569 to by taking the gospel, by going and making disciples of them, then we're not 258 00:11:51,569 --> 00:11:53,160 really fulfilling the Great commission. 259 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:54,840 And I said, we have to take this seriously. 260 00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:56,580 We're not fulfilling the great commandment that is. 261 00:11:57,420 --> 00:11:58,470 We have to take this seriously. 262 00:11:58,470 --> 00:12:00,660 And, and you say, well, is it really that big of a deal? 263 00:12:00,660 --> 00:12:01,530 And, and I would say yes. 264 00:12:01,530 --> 00:12:05,220 Back in Revelation two, five, Jesus said this to this church at Ephesus. 265 00:12:05,220 --> 00:12:07,380 He said, remember, therefore, from where you falling. 266 00:12:08,130 --> 00:12:08,910 Repent. 267 00:12:09,330 --> 00:12:09,810 Repent. 268 00:12:09,810 --> 00:12:11,160 In other words, you're in sin. 269 00:12:11,895 --> 00:12:13,575 And do the works you did at first. 270 00:12:13,635 --> 00:12:17,355 If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand. 271 00:12:17,355 --> 00:12:20,295 That is the church itself from its place unless you repent. 272 00:12:20,775 --> 00:12:24,885 So how much does Jesus care that we be a church that is not forgotten? 273 00:12:24,885 --> 00:12:27,585 Our first love that we be a church that is all about the great 274 00:12:27,585 --> 00:12:29,025 commandment and the great commission. 275 00:12:29,265 --> 00:12:30,555 How much does he care about that? 276 00:12:30,705 --> 00:12:34,785 So much so that he would say, I would rather have no church at all than a 277 00:12:34,785 --> 00:12:36,735 church That may be doctrinally sound. 278 00:12:37,035 --> 00:12:40,245 It may have the, the, the boxes checked in so many areas. 279 00:12:40,410 --> 00:12:42,209 But there's no love for the lost. 280 00:12:42,810 --> 00:12:46,500 You know, if you go to Ephesus today and, and I haven't been there yet, 281 00:12:46,500 --> 00:12:49,319 I hope to at some point, maybe we'll lead a church trip there at some point. 282 00:12:49,710 --> 00:12:52,080 But if you go to Ephesus today, you know what you're not gonna find. 283 00:12:52,410 --> 00:12:54,689 You're not gonna find First Baptist Ephesus. 284 00:12:54,870 --> 00:12:57,689 You're not gonna find Compass Bible Church, Ephesus. 285 00:12:57,870 --> 00:13:00,600 You're not gonna find Redeemer Presbyterian, Ephesus. 286 00:13:00,995 --> 00:13:03,125 And instead what you're gonna find is you're gonna find the remnants. 287 00:13:03,125 --> 00:13:06,455 You're gonna find the ruins of what used to be the church at Ephesus. 288 00:13:06,905 --> 00:13:09,814 Jesus followed through and removed the landt stand from that place. 289 00:13:09,819 --> 00:13:12,545 And, and that should be a sobering thought for us to think that God would 290 00:13:12,545 --> 00:13:15,694 rather have no church at all somewhere than a church that's doctrinally sound 291 00:13:15,694 --> 00:13:19,115 and yet devoid of a love for the lost. 292 00:13:19,865 --> 00:13:23,285 If we don't take the greatest commission seriously church here at at Compass 293 00:13:23,285 --> 00:13:25,895 Bible Church, if we don't realize that we have been commissioned. 294 00:13:25,895 --> 00:13:30,425 If we don't take this seriously, we could very well find ourselves without a church. 295 00:13:31,214 --> 00:13:33,435 And we need to be serious about what we're doing here. 296 00:13:33,884 --> 00:13:38,324 So normally we're in church on a Sunday morning and, and you're 297 00:13:38,324 --> 00:13:40,814 gonna look around and you're gonna see empty seats in the room. 298 00:13:41,504 --> 00:13:44,084 And I want you to start thinking about those empty seats and start thinking 299 00:13:44,084 --> 00:13:46,785 about those empty seats as a reminder of this charge to take the Great 300 00:13:46,785 --> 00:13:49,785 Commission seriously, because each one of those empty seats represent 301 00:13:49,785 --> 00:13:54,165 somebody in your life who needs to hear the gospel that could fill that seat. 302 00:13:54,900 --> 00:13:58,199 I, I mean, if you think about it even bigger, we could go even larger scale. 303 00:13:58,199 --> 00:14:01,589 We, we could go to two, three services at our church and 304 00:14:01,589 --> 00:14:02,939 fill that room up each time. 305 00:14:02,939 --> 00:14:05,400 And so you could look at the seats and be like, let me multiply 306 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:07,050 that two, three times over. 307 00:14:07,530 --> 00:14:10,800 And so I want us to think about, and, and to realize, man, we've got a mission. 308 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:13,650 We're not in heaven yet because there's still work to do here. 309 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:16,380 And we as a church have been commissioned and we have to 310 00:14:16,380 --> 00:14:18,089 take that commission seriously. 311 00:14:18,089 --> 00:14:21,060 We have to take the commission to reach the lost seriously, and 312 00:14:21,060 --> 00:14:23,939 to make sure that we do it in a way that's gonna exalt Christ. 313 00:14:23,939 --> 00:14:27,780 And so we may say, yeah, I love the Lord and I love my 314 00:14:27,780 --> 00:14:29,130 brothers and sisters in Christ. 315 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:32,910 Okay, but does that overflow into your love for the lost as well? 316 00:14:32,910 --> 00:14:34,740 Are you taking it seriously? 317 00:14:35,339 --> 00:14:38,249 Having established his authority, Jesus is now gonna give this charge. 318 00:14:38,249 --> 00:14:41,849 He's gonna give the commission back in verse 19 in our text, we're just 319 00:14:41,849 --> 00:14:43,199 gonna read the first part of verse 19. 320 00:14:43,199 --> 00:14:46,645 At this point, he says, go therefore and make disciples of All nation. 321 00:14:47,595 --> 00:14:50,895 Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations. 322 00:14:51,405 --> 00:14:53,385 Y you've probably heard this passage preached before 323 00:14:53,385 --> 00:14:54,975 and, and maybe you haven't. 324 00:14:54,975 --> 00:14:56,205 And so I'll just reiterate it. 325 00:14:56,505 --> 00:15:00,705 The, the main verb, the, the verb of command in this passage is not go, 326 00:15:01,155 --> 00:15:03,885 and we're gonna see two more verbs of baptizing and, and teaching. 327 00:15:03,885 --> 00:15:07,125 It's not baptizing, it's not teaching, it's not go, it's the verb. 328 00:15:07,185 --> 00:15:08,085 Make disciples. 329 00:15:08,115 --> 00:15:09,375 That's the command verb here. 330 00:15:09,740 --> 00:15:13,365 And, and so the, the go is, is modifying make disciples. 331 00:15:13,365 --> 00:15:14,385 How am I gonna make disciples? 332 00:15:14,625 --> 00:15:15,525 Well, I have to go. 333 00:15:16,150 --> 00:15:19,785 I, I, I have to take the gospel, in other words, to the lost. 334 00:15:20,144 --> 00:15:22,964 But let's start by saying, what is a disciple? 335 00:15:23,084 --> 00:15:24,254 'cause that's important for us, right? 336 00:15:24,254 --> 00:15:27,224 If we're gonna take this seriously, if we're gonna go and make disciples, we 337 00:15:27,224 --> 00:15:28,150 have to say, well, what is a disciple? 338 00:15:29,249 --> 00:15:33,114 Biblically, I think a, a disciple is one who was a, a follower of a, 339 00:15:33,119 --> 00:15:34,859 a rabbi, a follower of a master. 340 00:15:34,859 --> 00:15:35,879 A follower of a teacher. 341 00:15:36,149 --> 00:15:38,129 That's who the disciples were to Jesus. 342 00:15:38,129 --> 00:15:39,089 They were following him. 343 00:15:39,089 --> 00:15:40,259 They were his pupils. 344 00:15:40,619 --> 00:15:44,249 We read in Luke six 40, it says this, A disciple is not above his 345 00:15:44,249 --> 00:15:48,660 teacher, but everyone when he's fully trained, will be like his teacher. 346 00:15:48,660 --> 00:15:49,979 That's a disciple's objective. 347 00:15:50,009 --> 00:15:51,060 A disciple's objective is. 348 00:15:51,310 --> 00:15:53,709 To become fully like his teacher. 349 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:58,449 So if we are to make disciples, we have to ask ourselves, make disciples of who? 350 00:15:58,449 --> 00:16:00,609 Well make disciples of Jesus. 351 00:16:00,939 --> 00:16:05,560 So our goal in making disciples is to see people made just like Jesus. 352 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:06,339 That's our goal. 353 00:16:06,339 --> 00:16:08,260 We'll talk about that a little bit more later on too. 354 00:16:08,319 --> 00:16:11,469 And that's the goal of those that we're trying to reach with the gospel. 355 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:13,239 But how did Jesus make disciples? 356 00:16:13,270 --> 00:16:16,270 How did he make his disciples that he had when he was on on 357 00:16:16,270 --> 00:16:17,469 earth during his ly ministry? 358 00:16:17,905 --> 00:16:19,194 Read in Matthew four 19. 359 00:16:19,525 --> 00:16:21,535 Uh, Jesus approached them and said, follow me. 360 00:16:22,004 --> 00:16:23,264 And I'll make you fishers and men. 361 00:16:23,324 --> 00:16:27,165 So this invitation to follow him there, or Matthew 1624. 362 00:16:27,494 --> 00:16:30,915 Jesus there told his disciples who were already his disciples, but he's clarifying 363 00:16:30,915 --> 00:16:32,175 some of what it looks like to follow him. 364 00:16:32,175 --> 00:16:35,264 He says, look, if anyone would come after me, in other words, if anyone 365 00:16:35,264 --> 00:16:39,045 would follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 366 00:16:39,074 --> 00:16:39,314 Okay? 367 00:16:39,314 --> 00:16:41,685 So we're beginning to understand there's a cost involved in 368 00:16:41,685 --> 00:16:44,175 discipleship here, John one. 369 00:16:44,230 --> 00:16:45,670 37 through 39. 370 00:16:45,970 --> 00:16:48,700 Uh, there's a, a scene here where two disciples are, are 371 00:16:48,700 --> 00:16:49,960 following Jesus at this point. 372 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:53,080 They're disciples of John, but John told them, go become his disciples 373 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:54,760 instead, because John understood. 374 00:16:55,180 --> 00:16:57,400 So John said, go become his disciples instead. 375 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:00,339 So these two disciples are following Jesus, and Jesus turns and looks at 376 00:17:00,339 --> 00:17:01,900 them and says, what are you seeking? 377 00:17:02,079 --> 00:17:04,115 And they say, rabbi, we, we wish to, to s. 378 00:17:04,319 --> 00:17:05,490 To spend time with you. 379 00:17:05,490 --> 00:17:08,460 And that's why they say, we wish to see, uh, where are you staying? 380 00:17:08,490 --> 00:17:10,829 The implication is, can we come spend time with you? 381 00:17:11,398 --> 00:17:14,490 And Jesus turns and he says to them, come and you will see again 382 00:17:14,550 --> 00:17:16,108 beckoning that's part of discipleship. 383 00:17:16,439 --> 00:17:18,569 Come and and find out who I am. 384 00:17:18,659 --> 00:17:22,050 That's, that's part of Jesus calling these disciples to be his disciples. 385 00:17:22,409 --> 00:17:25,618 So then how do we make disciples then, if that's the way Jesus made disciples? 386 00:17:25,618 --> 00:17:26,878 How do we make disciples? 387 00:17:27,270 --> 00:17:29,820 Well, in John 1 46, Nathaniel who had. 388 00:17:30,149 --> 00:17:33,749 Been called by Jesus when to go find his friend here, Philip. 389 00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:37,590 And in going to find Philip, he says, we, we think we found the Messiah. 390 00:17:37,649 --> 00:17:38,610 You should come Philip. 391 00:17:38,939 --> 00:17:41,249 Philip says, can anything good come out of Nazareth? 392 00:17:41,310 --> 00:17:43,919 And Nathaniel's response is come and see. 393 00:17:44,219 --> 00:17:47,129 So part of our process of making disciples is going out to the loss and saying, 394 00:17:47,129 --> 00:17:48,570 we want you to come and see Jesus. 395 00:17:48,629 --> 00:17:51,509 We want you to come and meet Jesus or John 4 29. 396 00:17:51,510 --> 00:17:54,840 The woman at the well after Jesus has had this interaction with her, she 397 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:58,199 departs and she goes back to Samaria and she says this in John 4 29. 398 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:03,240 Come see a man who told me all I ever did, could this be the Christ? 399 00:18:03,659 --> 00:18:07,470 And so we go as those convinced that he is the Christ, that He is the Messiah, but we 400 00:18:07,470 --> 00:18:08,940 want to go to the loss just like she did. 401 00:18:08,940 --> 00:18:10,020 And we wanna say, come and see. 402 00:18:10,379 --> 00:18:11,850 Come and see Jesus. 403 00:18:11,940 --> 00:18:13,320 And so here's what discipleship is. 404 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:14,850 Discipleship is ultimately about this. 405 00:18:14,850 --> 00:18:16,230 It's about a right relationship with God. 406 00:18:17,219 --> 00:18:19,800 And that comes through becoming a follower of Jesus. 407 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:22,469 There's no other way that a person can have a right relationship with God. 408 00:18:22,770 --> 00:18:26,010 So as we live in a community of Hindus and Muslims and we live in a community 409 00:18:26,010 --> 00:18:29,280 of atheists, the only way for them to have a right relationship with the 410 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:34,350 true God of, of creation is through becoming a follower of Jesus Christ. 411 00:18:34,350 --> 00:18:34,649 That's the. 412 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:37,790 Only way we can make disciples is calling people to follow Jesus. 413 00:18:38,270 --> 00:18:40,490 And so through faith in what he did to save us, this is how 414 00:18:40,490 --> 00:18:41,630 we become a follower of Jesus. 415 00:18:41,630 --> 00:18:44,810 We put our faith in what Christ has done to save us, that he died on 416 00:18:44,810 --> 00:18:47,900 the cross, so that our sins might be forgiven, that he rose from the dead 417 00:18:47,900 --> 00:18:49,280 so that we might live with him forever. 418 00:18:49,965 --> 00:18:53,955 And we put our trust in that and we commit our lives to him in full devotion. 419 00:18:54,345 --> 00:18:57,015 This is what it is to become a follower of Jesus. 420 00:18:57,195 --> 00:19:00,045 And so this is why it's imperative for us to go with the great commission 421 00:19:00,285 --> 00:19:03,555 because the only way, again, the only way someone can be right with 422 00:19:03,555 --> 00:19:07,185 the God of creation, the only God is through becoming a follower of Jesus. 423 00:19:07,185 --> 00:19:10,065 And so that's why Jesus says your job is to make. 424 00:19:10,515 --> 00:19:15,555 Disciples make disciples, in other words, share the gospel, reach people with the 425 00:19:15,555 --> 00:19:19,035 good news of faith in Jesus Christ that restores their relationship with God. 426 00:19:19,305 --> 00:19:23,055 Paul talks about our urgency in this and our need for this in Romans chapter 10. 427 00:19:23,055 --> 00:19:26,235 After saying, anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. 428 00:19:26,235 --> 00:19:29,925 That's that faith, that's that trust in Jesus becoming a follower of Jesus. 429 00:19:29,925 --> 00:19:33,135 In other words, and then Paul says this in Romans 10, 14 through 15, 430 00:19:33,135 --> 00:19:35,775 he says, but how are they gonna call on him and whom they've not 431 00:19:35,775 --> 00:19:37,550 believed, and how are they to believe? 432 00:19:38,220 --> 00:19:42,150 And whom, uh, uh, in the one of whom they've never heard, and how are they 433 00:19:42,150 --> 00:19:43,470 to hear without someone preaching? 434 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:46,980 And how are they to preach unless they are sent as it's written? 435 00:19:46,980 --> 00:19:50,430 How beautiful are the feet of the ones who preach good news? 436 00:19:50,970 --> 00:19:53,940 In other words, you need to go with the good news because that's 437 00:19:53,940 --> 00:19:56,430 the only way people are gonna hear and become followers of Jesus. 438 00:19:56,700 --> 00:20:02,010 And this is why Jesus says, go therefore and make disciples, go therefore, and make 439 00:20:02,010 --> 00:20:05,400 disciples again, the church of primary mission and thereby our primary mission. 440 00:20:06,074 --> 00:20:09,405 Our purpose, our main goal, the thing that we have to be doing is 441 00:20:09,405 --> 00:20:11,624 going out to make disciples of Jesus. 442 00:20:13,514 --> 00:20:17,324 The great commission isn't only for people who have the gift of evangelism, 443 00:20:17,685 --> 00:20:20,385 and, and maybe that's where you're sitting listening to this, to this point, 444 00:20:20,385 --> 00:20:23,445 you're thinking, okay, and, and we need people in our church who have the gift. 445 00:20:23,774 --> 00:20:25,695 We need people in our church who will go door to door. 446 00:20:25,695 --> 00:20:28,725 We need people in our church who will talk to the person at, at the grocery store. 447 00:20:28,725 --> 00:20:32,294 We need people in our church who will talk to the their, their cashier. 448 00:20:32,940 --> 00:20:36,210 The Great Commission is not just for people with the gift of evangelism. 449 00:20:36,330 --> 00:20:37,770 It's not just for pastors. 450 00:20:38,070 --> 00:20:40,350 The great commission is given to every disciple of Jesus. 451 00:20:40,650 --> 00:20:44,280 Everyone who follows Jesus is meant to go and make disciples. 452 00:20:45,060 --> 00:20:50,130 And, and you may say, okay, but still, I, I, I have, I have concerns about myself. 453 00:20:50,130 --> 00:20:52,290 Maybe you're just like, Moses was with God, but, but God, 454 00:20:52,290 --> 00:20:53,520 can't you send somebody else? 455 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:55,110 I'm not the most eloquent person. 456 00:20:55,860 --> 00:20:58,260 Listen to what Paul said in one Corinthians chapter one, 457 00:20:58,260 --> 00:20:58,995 verses two through three. 458 00:20:59,490 --> 00:21:02,699 Or excuse me, one Corinthians two, two through three, Paul said this. 459 00:21:02,699 --> 00:21:07,139 He said, I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 460 00:21:07,199 --> 00:21:10,199 And then Paul says this, and I was with you in weakness and 461 00:21:10,199 --> 00:21:12,030 fear and in much trembling. 462 00:21:12,629 --> 00:21:15,840 And so if you're there going, man, I just, this is overwhelming. 463 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:17,850 This is intimidating for me. 464 00:21:18,300 --> 00:21:22,740 You can know that that man, Paul felt that to a certain extent as well. 465 00:21:22,740 --> 00:21:26,580 But what I want us to understand is this great commission is still for you. 466 00:21:26,915 --> 00:21:31,085 Even if you are intimidated by the fact of, of God calling you to say, Hey, I want 467 00:21:31,085 --> 00:21:32,825 you to, to take the gospel to the lost. 468 00:21:33,155 --> 00:21:35,015 Still the great commission is for you. 469 00:21:35,105 --> 00:21:38,285 We're gonna give you some resources and talk about that in, in just a minute here. 470 00:21:38,285 --> 00:21:41,765 But I, I want you to understand that not only do we have to take the commission 471 00:21:41,765 --> 00:21:45,785 seriously, but every single one of us in taking it seriously as part of the 472 00:21:45,785 --> 00:21:48,995 called out ones as part of the church, every single one of us in taking 473 00:21:48,995 --> 00:21:50,405 it seriously also need to do this. 474 00:21:50,405 --> 00:21:52,325 Point number two, take the commission personally. 475 00:21:52,835 --> 00:21:53,885 Take the commission personally. 476 00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:58,320 There's, you may have heard the old saying, there's no I in team. 477 00:21:58,380 --> 00:21:58,770 Right? 478 00:21:59,130 --> 00:22:00,420 That's what we're talking about here. 479 00:22:00,510 --> 00:22:03,540 To, to accomplish the mission, to accomplish the commission, 480 00:22:03,630 --> 00:22:04,560 the great commission. 481 00:22:04,980 --> 00:22:07,290 We need everybody playing their part. 482 00:22:07,410 --> 00:22:09,390 Everybody is participating in this. 483 00:22:09,420 --> 00:22:11,820 Everybody has a place on the front lines of the great commission. 484 00:22:12,300 --> 00:22:15,150 I mentioned a couple weeks ago, my friend Clint, who was overseas 485 00:22:15,150 --> 00:22:18,900 during the war in Iraq, and he was a helicopter mechanic, and, and he was 486 00:22:18,900 --> 00:22:20,490 on that base that I was talking about. 487 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:23,310 And, and so the thing is he never saw. 488 00:22:23,439 --> 00:22:24,340 Any action. 489 00:22:24,610 --> 00:22:29,860 His job was to stay on the base and to repair and maintain the helicopters 490 00:22:29,860 --> 00:22:31,540 that were going out to see the action. 491 00:22:31,899 --> 00:22:34,360 So he had a overall, a pretty cushy experience. 492 00:22:34,360 --> 00:22:37,000 While he was there, he told me about how they had Taco Bell on the 493 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:38,290 base and other things like that. 494 00:22:38,860 --> 00:22:42,460 I, I mentioned a couple weeks ago, his life was never in danger and, and that 495 00:22:42,460 --> 00:22:44,379 wasn't his job to put his life in danger. 496 00:22:44,409 --> 00:22:46,120 His job was not to be on the front lines. 497 00:22:46,149 --> 00:22:49,629 His job was to be repairing the, the, the stuff that would go to the front lines. 498 00:22:50,350 --> 00:22:52,030 That's not how the church works though. 499 00:22:52,305 --> 00:22:55,185 I know some of you probably wish it was, I know some of you probably 500 00:22:55,185 --> 00:22:57,795 wish it was like, Hey, can I be the helicopter mechanic for the church? 501 00:22:58,305 --> 00:23:01,575 Can I sit back and just support those whose job it is to be on 502 00:23:01,575 --> 00:23:02,835 the front lines with the gospel? 503 00:23:03,375 --> 00:23:08,505 And the reality of it is Jesus has all of us on the front lines of the gospel, 504 00:23:08,835 --> 00:23:12,495 and the reason is this, every single one of us has different spheres of influence. 505 00:23:13,290 --> 00:23:15,659 Every single one of us has, has different spheres of influence. 506 00:23:15,705 --> 00:23:19,649 I I, if you think about our church, think of all the families, the extended 507 00:23:19,649 --> 00:23:23,100 family, think of all the neighbors and the sports teams that are represented, 508 00:23:23,100 --> 00:23:27,120 and the coworkers and the baristas, and the coffee shops, and the plane flights, 509 00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:30,870 and the Uber rides, and the coffee orders, and the, the grocery store trips. 510 00:23:30,870 --> 00:23:35,730 Think of all of those people that I just mentioned in those different spheres, 511 00:23:36,210 --> 00:23:39,330 and then think about the fact that your sphere looks different than mine. 512 00:23:40,065 --> 00:23:43,935 And mine looks different than Pastor Rods and Pastor Marks and Kelly's and others. 513 00:23:44,385 --> 00:23:48,315 We have to understand that, that God has put us in a place and 514 00:23:48,315 --> 00:23:52,875 surrounded us with people that he wants us to take the gospel to. 515 00:23:53,175 --> 00:23:56,775 He's given us the great commission because he's put us in a mission 516 00:23:56,775 --> 00:23:58,395 field to reach people for Christ. 517 00:23:58,570 --> 00:24:01,209 And so your sphere of influence is different. 518 00:24:01,209 --> 00:24:04,209 And if your approach is, well, I'm just gonna sit back and wait for somebody 519 00:24:04,209 --> 00:24:08,290 with the gift of evangelism to share the gospel with my neighbor, you need to come 520 00:24:08,290 --> 00:24:11,679 to the reality that God has put you there to share the gospel with your neighbor. 521 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:13,114 No one else has come to do it. 522 00:24:13,820 --> 00:24:15,170 It's yours to do. 523 00:24:15,170 --> 00:24:16,640 It's your task to do. 524 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:19,220 And this is where it comes down to something that I think is important 525 00:24:19,220 --> 00:24:20,840 for us to understand and wrestle with. 526 00:24:21,260 --> 00:24:23,720 Uh, Lewis brought it up, uh, during our men's Bible study, but it's 527 00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:26,600 this idea of the intellectual versus our functional view of God. 528 00:24:26,900 --> 00:24:30,650 And I think that really comes to bear here when it comes to our 529 00:24:30,650 --> 00:24:34,790 understanding of the gospel and the need for the loss to hear the gospel. 530 00:24:35,065 --> 00:24:36,085 I'm confident. 531 00:24:36,085 --> 00:24:40,555 I'm confident that all of us would say that we believe that we should be taking 532 00:24:40,555 --> 00:24:42,025 the gospel to the lost in our lives. 533 00:24:42,025 --> 00:24:45,625 I, I think all of us would say, yes, I understand it intellectually. 534 00:24:45,625 --> 00:24:46,915 The Great Commission is for me. 535 00:24:47,220 --> 00:24:51,355 And, and I believe that all of us would agree that yes, God has placed people in 536 00:24:51,355 --> 00:24:54,955 our lives that need to hear the gospel, that need to be reached with the gospel. 537 00:24:55,225 --> 00:24:58,195 I believe that we would intellectually all agree to that. 538 00:24:59,095 --> 00:25:02,015 But the question I have is, is that showing up in our functional view of God. 539 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:06,120 In other words, are we acting on the knowledge that we have? 540 00:25:06,540 --> 00:25:09,840 Are we using faith to bridge the gap from what we know to be true 541 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:11,070 to what we know we need to do? 542 00:25:11,670 --> 00:25:14,040 And, and, and then are we doing it? 543 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:17,700 James said that we need to be not just hearers of the word, but doers 544 00:25:17,700 --> 00:25:21,510 of the word and, and so if we hear the great commission, but we don't 545 00:25:21,510 --> 00:25:25,710 do the great commission, then we're really not obeying the Lord. 546 00:25:26,290 --> 00:25:26,510 In. 547 00:25:26,514 --> 00:25:30,975 In fact, James even goes on, he says this, let me, James two 14 through 19 548 00:25:30,975 --> 00:25:33,284 says this, what good is it my brothers? 549 00:25:33,554 --> 00:25:37,965 If someone says he has faith but does not have works, can that faith save him? 550 00:25:38,354 --> 00:25:42,104 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed, lacking in daily food, and one of you 551 00:25:42,104 --> 00:25:46,395 says to them, go in peace, be warm and be filled without giving them the 552 00:25:46,395 --> 00:25:47,594 things they need for the body, what? 553 00:25:47,594 --> 00:25:48,735 What good is that? 554 00:25:49,334 --> 00:25:52,695 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead. 555 00:25:53,084 --> 00:25:55,514 But someone will say, you have faith in, I have works. 556 00:25:56,100 --> 00:26:01,470 Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 557 00:26:01,740 --> 00:26:06,480 You believe that God is one you do well, but even the demons believe and shudder. 558 00:26:07,470 --> 00:26:11,040 And so if, if we're going to see that, that our faith is greater than the 559 00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:15,480 demonic belief that hey God is God, then we need to put our faith into action. 560 00:26:16,065 --> 00:26:21,419 And and that comes down to when, when you're saying, my neighbor, if my neighbor 561 00:26:21,419 --> 00:26:22,919 were to die today, they would go to hell. 562 00:26:23,340 --> 00:26:24,510 You may believe that. 563 00:26:26,100 --> 00:26:29,070 But I would say if, if you really believe that to be true, 564 00:26:29,250 --> 00:26:29,975 then we need to act on it. 565 00:26:30,855 --> 00:26:33,794 We need to cross that bridge between the intellectual and the functional view. 566 00:26:34,155 --> 00:26:35,985 We need to say, I, I, what can I do about it? 567 00:26:35,985 --> 00:26:38,084 I, I can at least share the gospel with them. 568 00:26:38,084 --> 00:26:38,895 I need to do that. 569 00:26:38,895 --> 00:26:40,574 I need to take the Great Commission personally. 570 00:26:41,054 --> 00:26:42,344 Maybe you're still nervous. 571 00:26:42,375 --> 00:26:44,294 Maybe you still feel inadequate for this. 572 00:26:44,324 --> 00:26:47,834 You have a fear of failure, or you have a fear of making God look bad, or you 573 00:26:47,834 --> 00:26:50,054 have a fear of being asked a question that you don't have an answer to. 574 00:26:50,625 --> 00:26:52,725 You have a fear of, of just looking foolish. 575 00:26:52,814 --> 00:26:54,314 Maybe you have a fear of persecution. 576 00:26:54,845 --> 00:26:59,345 You have a fear of, of the argument and things getting tense between you and, and 577 00:26:59,345 --> 00:27:00,935 your neighbor, you and your family member. 578 00:27:00,935 --> 00:27:04,085 Maybe you're just afraid that you're gonna look like one of those Christians. 579 00:27:04,955 --> 00:27:07,685 This is where we have to come back and remember something here. 580 00:27:07,865 --> 00:27:12,305 This is what God is commanding us to do, and God wants us to do this. 581 00:27:12,305 --> 00:27:13,475 He's telling us to do this. 582 00:27:13,475 --> 00:27:17,315 And if God is telling us to do this, then when we obey God, God's 583 00:27:17,315 --> 00:27:18,875 gonna honor our obedience to him. 584 00:27:19,205 --> 00:27:22,115 He's gonna honor it because it's gonna work out for his good, 585 00:27:22,115 --> 00:27:23,585 for our good and for his glory. 586 00:27:23,949 --> 00:27:27,010 And so I'm not saying that every one of your conversations is gonna go, well, 587 00:27:27,010 --> 00:27:29,709 I'm not gonna say that you're gonna bat a thousand and share in the gospel. 588 00:27:29,709 --> 00:27:33,820 You're not, and not every one of your conversations will go well, but you 589 00:27:33,820 --> 00:27:37,030 can have a confidence that God has you and that you are doing something 590 00:27:37,030 --> 00:27:41,169 that pleases him and that he knows what you're doing and where you 591 00:27:41,169 --> 00:27:42,760 are, and he's going to care for you. 592 00:27:43,740 --> 00:27:48,600 I, I, again, lemme just bring it back to this and, and I think this is, is helpful 593 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:50,130 to overcome some of those fears as well. 594 00:27:50,610 --> 00:27:55,410 I, if we intellectually believe that our, if our neighbor dies, that they're gonna 595 00:27:55,410 --> 00:28:00,930 go to hell today, the question we have to say is, is are avoiding that awkward 596 00:28:00,930 --> 00:28:04,890 conversation or that scary conversation or that difficult conversation. 597 00:28:05,955 --> 00:28:09,764 For an extra hour or two of comfort that we might gain this side of 598 00:28:09,764 --> 00:28:13,814 eternity, are we willing to trade that for their eternal condemnation? 599 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:18,300 I don't know if I've told this story before, if I have. 600 00:28:18,300 --> 00:28:20,370 It's been a while and it's worth revisiting. 601 00:28:20,730 --> 00:28:24,510 Pen Gillette, notable atheist, was once given a Bible by somebody who 602 00:28:24,510 --> 00:28:27,390 was at one of his shows, and he said this afterwards, he said, I don't 603 00:28:27,390 --> 00:28:29,220 respect people who don't proselytize. 604 00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:30,240 Okay, this is an atheist. 605 00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:32,970 I don't respect somebody who's not taking the great commission 606 00:28:32,970 --> 00:28:33,990 personally and seriously. 607 00:28:33,990 --> 00:28:36,270 In other words, I don't respect that at all. 608 00:28:36,895 --> 00:28:40,135 He said, if you believe there's a heaven and a hell and people could be going 609 00:28:40,135 --> 00:28:43,435 to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that, well, it's 610 00:28:43,435 --> 00:28:46,255 not really worth telling them this because that would make it socially awkward. 611 00:28:46,945 --> 00:28:49,795 He said, how much do you have to hate somebody not to proselytize? 612 00:28:50,185 --> 00:28:52,885 How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life 613 00:28:52,885 --> 00:28:54,745 is possible and not tell them that? 614 00:28:55,110 --> 00:28:56,010 And then he says this. 615 00:28:56,010 --> 00:28:59,580 He says, I mean, if I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming 616 00:28:59,580 --> 00:29:03,900 at you and you didn't believe it, but the truck was bearing down on you, there's a 617 00:29:03,900 --> 00:29:08,370 certain point where I would tackle you, and this is more important than that. 618 00:29:08,670 --> 00:29:09,450 It's an atheist. 619 00:29:09,750 --> 00:29:12,510 Saying this, eternal life is more important than that. 620 00:29:12,630 --> 00:29:15,000 How much do you have to hate somebody not to take the Great Commission? 621 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:17,610 Personally, how much do you have to hate somebody not to have the 622 00:29:17,610 --> 00:29:21,570 conversation with your coworker, your neighbor, your family member? 623 00:29:21,630 --> 00:29:23,910 And so church, I, I want us to start planning for that. 624 00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:27,480 I want us to start saying, okay, this is the person that needs to hear the gospel. 625 00:29:27,570 --> 00:29:30,630 I, I, I want us to start putting a timeframe on that, and I'm gonna share the 626 00:29:30,630 --> 00:29:32,040 gospel with them within the next month. 627 00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:35,160 I'm gonna set myself that goal and I'm gonna pursue that goal. 628 00:29:35,910 --> 00:29:37,680 God has commissioned the church to make disciples. 629 00:29:38,385 --> 00:29:42,195 And the outwork of that looks like each one of us as part of our 630 00:29:42,195 --> 00:29:45,524 church, as part of those that have been called out reaching those 631 00:29:45,524 --> 00:29:46,544 that God has put into our lives. 632 00:29:46,544 --> 00:29:48,495 So who will that be for you right now? 633 00:29:48,495 --> 00:29:50,175 Who needs to hear the gospel? 634 00:29:50,175 --> 00:29:54,855 Who are you gonna tackle this week because the bus of eternity is coming at them? 635 00:29:55,365 --> 00:29:58,695 Who have you been functionally hating by not sharing the gospel with them? 636 00:29:59,594 --> 00:30:01,635 And who do you need to add to that list and begin to say, okay. 637 00:30:01,695 --> 00:30:03,135 It is time to do it. 638 00:30:03,195 --> 00:30:05,865 It's time to get from the intellectual to the functional, and I'm gonna 639 00:30:05,865 --> 00:30:06,885 go after them with the gospel. 640 00:30:06,915 --> 00:30:08,024 I'm gonna take the great Commission. 641 00:30:08,024 --> 00:30:11,475 Personally, the good news is there's, there's still time. 642 00:30:11,715 --> 00:30:12,345 There's still time. 643 00:30:13,230 --> 00:30:16,500 Well, we've been commissioned to make disciples and, and we have to do that. 644 00:30:16,500 --> 00:30:17,669 That's, that's the mission. 645 00:30:17,669 --> 00:30:18,330 That's what we're talking about. 646 00:30:18,330 --> 00:30:21,689 And that begins with sharing the gospel with the lost. 647 00:30:21,959 --> 00:30:25,919 But once a disciple is made by believing in Jesus Christ, by believing to 648 00:30:25,919 --> 00:30:29,189 the gospel, by responding in faith and repentance, our job in making 649 00:30:29,189 --> 00:30:30,600 disciples, it doesn't stop there. 650 00:30:31,005 --> 00:30:34,035 And so pick up back with me in, in the rest of verse 19 into 20. 651 00:30:34,575 --> 00:30:36,465 He says that we need to make disciples of all nations. 652 00:30:36,465 --> 00:30:39,735 And then he says, it's baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and 653 00:30:39,735 --> 00:30:43,305 the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. 654 00:30:43,305 --> 00:30:46,425 And behold, I'm with you always to the end of the age. 655 00:30:46,455 --> 00:30:47,235 And so there's. 656 00:30:47,545 --> 00:30:49,405 Two more things that that show up here. 657 00:30:49,435 --> 00:30:51,265 Two things that we're supposed to do with disciples. 658 00:30:51,355 --> 00:30:53,515 The first is baptizing them, the second is teaching them. 659 00:30:53,935 --> 00:30:54,955 So let's talk about baptism. 660 00:30:55,015 --> 00:30:57,175 Baptism is one of the two ordinances of the church. 661 00:30:57,175 --> 00:30:58,075 That, and communion. 662 00:30:58,225 --> 00:31:01,225 And so baptism is something that, that we practice. 663 00:31:01,225 --> 00:31:03,025 It's something that's been commanded and there's a lot 664 00:31:03,025 --> 00:31:04,165 of different views on baptism. 665 00:31:04,495 --> 00:31:08,095 And this isn't necessarily meant to be a sermon on baptism, but I'll just say this. 666 00:31:08,095 --> 00:31:10,710 If you look at this text, ask yourself the question. 667 00:31:11,220 --> 00:31:12,870 Who is being baptized here? 668 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:14,100 Who is being baptized here? 669 00:31:14,610 --> 00:31:17,280 Go and make disciples of all nations. 670 00:31:17,429 --> 00:31:19,740 And we talked about how one becomes a disciple, right? 671 00:31:19,770 --> 00:31:22,470 A, a disciple is somebody who becomes a follower of Jesus, and you become a 672 00:31:22,470 --> 00:31:25,800 follower of Jesus by repenting from your sins and putting your trust in his atoning 673 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:27,540 death for you and his resurrection. 674 00:31:28,290 --> 00:31:28,740 So. 675 00:31:29,070 --> 00:31:32,340 If we're to baptize disciples, it seems that it would follow that 676 00:31:32,340 --> 00:31:35,970 it's wise and best practice for us to baptize believers, right? 677 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:39,210 Because disciples are believers and what are we supposed to do with them? 678 00:31:39,210 --> 00:31:42,930 We're to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 679 00:31:43,260 --> 00:31:45,300 And I think this Trinitarian formula is there because they 680 00:31:45,300 --> 00:31:46,590 all have a role in salvation. 681 00:31:47,070 --> 00:31:48,570 The spirit regenerates us. 682 00:31:48,570 --> 00:31:51,990 That is causes the, the person to be born again, to have the faith, 683 00:31:51,990 --> 00:31:56,459 to then put in the sun, into to Jesus and his death on their behalf 684 00:31:56,459 --> 00:31:57,659 and his resurrection from the dead. 685 00:31:57,659 --> 00:32:02,699 And that faith then is what causes God then to declare us righteous, to 686 00:32:02,699 --> 00:32:04,919 declare us justified in his sight. 687 00:32:05,250 --> 00:32:09,270 So when we baptize and, and we do this together, what we'll gather out in that. 688 00:32:10,215 --> 00:32:13,005 You know, mobile hot tub under the, the blue awning at church there, 689 00:32:13,635 --> 00:32:14,715 somebody gives their testimony. 690 00:32:14,715 --> 00:32:15,765 Why do they give their testimony? 691 00:32:15,765 --> 00:32:17,715 Because we're baptizing disciples, right? 692 00:32:17,715 --> 00:32:20,115 Somebody who's been made a follower of Jesus, and, and 693 00:32:20,115 --> 00:32:21,105 then we're gonna baptize them. 694 00:32:21,105 --> 00:32:24,315 And that's meant to picture what the, the change that's taken place. 695 00:32:24,315 --> 00:32:26,415 They've been united with Christ into a death like his. 696 00:32:26,415 --> 00:32:31,305 So we bring them under the water in that burial sim symbolism, and then they'll, 697 00:32:31,365 --> 00:32:34,005 they'll be raised to life in a life like his, which is why we then bring 698 00:32:34,005 --> 00:32:35,445 them back up out of the water, right? 699 00:32:36,129 --> 00:32:39,190 And they're raised to newness of life, but we baptize them in the name 700 00:32:39,190 --> 00:32:41,860 of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, because all three elements, 701 00:32:41,860 --> 00:32:46,480 all three members of the Godhead, they all have a role in the Saving Act. 702 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:47,350 So we baptize them. 703 00:32:47,350 --> 00:32:48,040 That's important. 704 00:32:48,040 --> 00:32:48,940 That's something that we have to do. 705 00:32:48,940 --> 00:32:51,760 That's another part of continuing the process of making disciples. 706 00:32:52,210 --> 00:32:54,639 But then this next part says baptizing them and. 707 00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:56,400 Teaching them to observe. 708 00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:58,710 The word observe means to obey, to follow. 709 00:32:59,100 --> 00:33:01,080 Teaching them to observe or obey or follow. 710 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:02,790 All that I have commanded you. 711 00:33:03,300 --> 00:33:05,610 This is why the task doesn't stop at conversion. 712 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:09,240 In fact, this is why there's a very real sense in which no one has ever 713 00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:10,860 fully discipled this side of eternity. 714 00:33:11,564 --> 00:33:15,945 After somebody is saved, they need someone to teach them to observe 715 00:33:15,945 --> 00:33:17,445 or obey all that Christ commanded. 716 00:33:17,804 --> 00:33:20,834 In other words, they need someone to come alongside them. 717 00:33:20,895 --> 00:33:21,254 Right? 718 00:33:21,254 --> 00:33:22,754 And that's, that's us. 719 00:33:22,754 --> 00:33:23,475 That's the church. 720 00:33:23,740 --> 00:33:26,834 And, and to teach them what it looks like to live as a Christian. 721 00:33:27,284 --> 00:33:30,014 So we want to take the Great Commission seriously. 722 00:33:30,014 --> 00:33:31,665 We want to take the Great Commission personally. 723 00:33:31,665 --> 00:33:34,439 And then finally, we want to take the Great Commission thoroughly. 724 00:33:34,975 --> 00:33:38,245 We wanna take it thoroughly that, that our job doesn't end when 725 00:33:38,245 --> 00:33:40,225 somebody says, I want to follow Jesus. 726 00:33:40,284 --> 00:33:41,965 Our job doesn't end with conversion. 727 00:33:42,235 --> 00:33:43,945 Our job doesn't even end with baptism. 728 00:33:43,945 --> 00:33:45,834 Our job continues on. 729 00:33:46,104 --> 00:33:48,685 If you think about where you were when you first came to Christ and 730 00:33:48,685 --> 00:33:51,995 where you are now, uh, uh, my guess is there's, there's quite a, a, a 731 00:33:51,995 --> 00:33:52,955 difference between those two places. 732 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:56,010 And the reason there's quite a difference between those two places 733 00:33:56,010 --> 00:33:58,830 because you had somebody take the Great Commission thoroughly in your life. 734 00:33:59,130 --> 00:34:02,130 They were instructing you, they were teaching you what 735 00:34:02,130 --> 00:34:04,260 it looks like to follow Jesus. 736 00:34:04,320 --> 00:34:06,510 And so when you share the gospel with someone, I want 737 00:34:06,510 --> 00:34:07,470 you to think about it this way. 738 00:34:07,470 --> 00:34:10,290 When you share the gospel with someone, you are committing to 739 00:34:10,290 --> 00:34:11,670 their continued discipleship. 740 00:34:11,670 --> 00:34:12,600 Should they get saved. 741 00:34:12,659 --> 00:34:13,949 At least that should be your mindset. 742 00:34:14,310 --> 00:34:17,429 Now, that doesn't mean that you are always gonna be the one 743 00:34:17,429 --> 00:34:18,449 that is going to disciple them. 744 00:34:18,810 --> 00:34:21,750 For example, if you're traveling and you share the gospel with somebody while 745 00:34:21,750 --> 00:34:25,649 you're traveling with them, then what your commitment to their discipleship 746 00:34:25,649 --> 00:34:29,250 looks like is saying, I, I wanna make sure that you get connected to a good church. 747 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:32,580 Tell me where are you coming from, what churches are nearby. 748 00:34:32,580 --> 00:34:33,509 Let me do some research. 749 00:34:33,509 --> 00:34:34,500 I'll talk to my pastors. 750 00:34:34,500 --> 00:34:35,759 I wanna make sure that you do a good church. 751 00:34:36,359 --> 00:34:37,438 Let's exchange phone numbers. 752 00:34:37,799 --> 00:34:39,014 Because, because this is important. 753 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:41,520 You need somebody to be investing and teaching you and, 754 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:42,600 and pouring into your life. 755 00:34:42,870 --> 00:34:45,960 So maybe that's gonna be the, the situation or, or maybe. 756 00:34:46,304 --> 00:34:47,835 For example, you're of the opposite sex. 757 00:34:47,895 --> 00:34:51,134 You share the gospel with, uh, you're a woman, you share the gospel with a man, 758 00:34:51,255 --> 00:34:52,935 and, and he comes to faith in Jesus. 759 00:34:52,935 --> 00:34:57,105 Well, it's probably wise unless you're married and, and even then you need more 760 00:34:57,105 --> 00:35:00,435 than that, it's probably wise for you not to be his discipler and vice versa. 761 00:35:00,495 --> 00:35:02,654 And so maybe you're gonna hand them off to somebody in your church. 762 00:35:02,654 --> 00:35:04,515 You're gonna hand 'em off to the men's ministry in your church. 763 00:35:04,515 --> 00:35:07,605 You're gonna hand her off to the women's ministry in your church and, 764 00:35:07,605 --> 00:35:10,694 and you're gonna trust that your church is gonna come alongside to, to. 765 00:35:10,805 --> 00:35:13,234 Pursue this discipleship process as well. 766 00:35:13,504 --> 00:35:14,765 And, and, and that's just it, right? 767 00:35:14,765 --> 00:35:17,705 If we're gonna disciple thoroughly, it is us individually with one 768 00:35:17,705 --> 00:35:19,024 another, but it's also corporately. 769 00:35:19,115 --> 00:35:22,444 And that's why we as a church, do men's bible study and women's bible study. 770 00:35:22,444 --> 00:35:25,234 And that's why we do biblical counseling intensives, and, and I'm sure we're gonna 771 00:35:25,234 --> 00:35:27,035 do more things like that in the future. 772 00:35:27,395 --> 00:35:28,955 It's, it's why we have community groups. 773 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:32,060 It's a huge reason why we have community groups so that discipleship 774 00:35:32,060 --> 00:35:33,530 relationships are continuing there. 775 00:35:33,980 --> 00:35:35,270 It's why we do kids ministry. 776 00:35:35,270 --> 00:35:39,140 It's why we do our True North Student Ministry, the, the discipling 777 00:35:39,170 --> 00:35:41,720 thoroughly that process, carrying out the Great Commission thoroughly. 778 00:35:41,720 --> 00:35:46,280 This is a corporate pursuit as well as part of the called out ones here, but 779 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:49,130 there's another resource that we have that I just wanna plug for just a minute 780 00:35:49,130 --> 00:35:52,520 here in the discipleship process, and that is our resource known as Partners. 781 00:35:52,850 --> 00:35:55,280 Partners is our one-on-one discipleship manual. 782 00:35:55,550 --> 00:35:57,620 So what partners is, is it's 10 chapters. 783 00:35:58,060 --> 00:36:00,940 And it's meant for you to go through with somebody that's already been through it. 784 00:36:01,180 --> 00:36:04,270 And as you go through these chapters, this is gonna be discipleship in the sense 785 00:36:04,270 --> 00:36:08,080 that you're gonna be going through things like, uh, the, the what is the gospel? 786 00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:11,290 That's chapter one, right outta the gates, the character of God. 787 00:36:11,290 --> 00:36:13,750 You're gonna be talking about what does it look like to study the Bible. 788 00:36:14,020 --> 00:36:15,009 You're gonna talk about prayer. 789 00:36:15,009 --> 00:36:18,009 You're gonna talk about the Holy Spirit in the role of the Holy Spirit in your life. 790 00:36:18,009 --> 00:36:20,140 You'll talk about the church and, and what it looks like 791 00:36:20,140 --> 00:36:21,160 to be a part of a good church. 792 00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:23,859 You're gonna talk about serving and why that's so important. 793 00:36:23,859 --> 00:36:24,339 You'll talk about. 794 00:36:24,430 --> 00:36:25,750 Fellowship with other believers. 795 00:36:25,750 --> 00:36:28,720 You'll talk about evangelism like we're talking about this morning, and you're 796 00:36:28,720 --> 00:36:32,109 also gonna talk about sanctification or living a holy life before God. 797 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:33,490 Uh, 10 chapters. 798 00:36:33,490 --> 00:36:37,720 It's using God's word and it's causing us to, to, to have opportunities 799 00:36:37,720 --> 00:36:40,629 to have good discipleship based conversations with people. 800 00:36:40,629 --> 00:36:42,009 So that's called partners. 801 00:36:42,009 --> 00:36:43,930 If you haven't been through it, we'd love for you to go through. 802 00:36:43,930 --> 00:36:45,669 You can sign up for it on our website. 803 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:49,960 If you have been through it and, and your partner said, man, I think you'd be great 804 00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:53,080 to take somebody else through that, then who are you taking through right now? 805 00:36:53,115 --> 00:36:56,084 And maybe you can identify somebody and say, okay, this looks like me 806 00:36:56,294 --> 00:36:59,444 continuing to take discipleship and take the great commission thoroughly here. 807 00:36:59,924 --> 00:37:01,785 I want to participate and engage in this. 808 00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:07,440 When we gather on Sundays, we gather as those who are at different places in 809 00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:08,910 this journey called discipleship, right? 810 00:37:09,569 --> 00:37:13,259 We gather in a room full of people that are, are all at different places in 811 00:37:13,259 --> 00:37:14,759 their spiritual, spiritual maturity. 812 00:37:15,090 --> 00:37:17,670 So for us to be a church as the called out ones, that's gonna take 813 00:37:17,670 --> 00:37:20,370 the Great Commission seriously and personally and thoroughly. 814 00:37:20,549 --> 00:37:22,140 That's why we need community with each other. 815 00:37:22,455 --> 00:37:25,335 Man, I need more mature believers to come alongside me. 816 00:37:25,424 --> 00:37:29,505 I, you need more mature believers to come alongside you and, and to carry 817 00:37:29,505 --> 00:37:33,525 on the great commission in your life to cause you to become a more rounded, 818 00:37:33,525 --> 00:37:35,475 more fully devoted follower of Jesus. 819 00:37:35,475 --> 00:37:38,025 Because remember, that's what discipleship is really all about, 820 00:37:38,025 --> 00:37:40,424 is becoming followers of Christ. 821 00:37:40,935 --> 00:37:42,404 And so we are about the Great Commission. 822 00:37:42,404 --> 00:37:43,904 We have to be about the Great Commission. 823 00:37:44,235 --> 00:37:46,245 The the Great Commission is something that we need to take. 824 00:37:46,575 --> 00:37:49,365 Seriously, the Great Commission is something that we need to take personally, 825 00:37:49,365 --> 00:37:51,615 and the Great Commission is something that we need to take thoroughly. 826 00:37:51,615 --> 00:37:55,335 Realizing that discipleship is a journey that won't end this side of eternity, and 827 00:37:55,335 --> 00:38:00,075 so we want to teach these disciples to observe all the crisis commanded with us. 828 00:38:00,645 --> 00:38:04,424 All the way through, and, and that's the most encouraging part of this passage, 829 00:38:04,515 --> 00:38:07,874 and that's the last part of verse 20 when he says this, and behold, I'm with you 830 00:38:07,874 --> 00:38:12,104 always to the end of the age, behold, I'm with you always to the end of the age. 831 00:38:12,345 --> 00:38:14,714 That should be the most comforting thought to you. 832 00:38:14,714 --> 00:38:17,265 If maybe you're sitting there thinking to yourself, okay, but 833 00:38:17,865 --> 00:38:19,305 man, I just am, am not sure. 834 00:38:19,305 --> 00:38:19,874 I feel. 835 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:22,560 Uh, I, I, I feel uneasy. 836 00:38:22,560 --> 00:38:24,600 I feel awkward, I feel unprepared. 837 00:38:25,140 --> 00:38:29,520 Those words from Jesus, I'm with you, always to the end of the age, 838 00:38:29,610 --> 00:38:30,810 should be an encouragement to you. 839 00:38:30,870 --> 00:38:32,790 That you have the spirit of God dwelling within you. 840 00:38:32,790 --> 00:38:34,950 You have the presence of Christ in your life, and you have the 841 00:38:34,950 --> 00:38:38,430 ability to go with that confidence to take the gospel to the lost. 842 00:38:39,270 --> 00:38:41,190 This is why we're still here, church. 843 00:38:41,430 --> 00:38:44,370 This is why we're not in heaven, because this is the job that God 844 00:38:44,370 --> 00:38:46,380 has for us to do here that we're not gonna be able to do there. 845 00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:50,190 And so as a church, we need to get after it 'cause that's what we're here to do. 846 00:38:50,250 --> 00:38:51,090 This is our mission. 847 00:38:51,570 --> 00:38:53,850 We're about, and we'll say this in our, our mission statement as 848 00:38:53,850 --> 00:38:56,610 a church, reaching, teaching and training that comes from this passage. 849 00:38:57,150 --> 00:38:58,225 We wanna reach people for Christ. 850 00:38:58,950 --> 00:39:00,780 That's evangelism, that's sharing the gospel, that's 851 00:39:00,780 --> 00:39:01,830 calling them to be a disciple. 852 00:39:01,860 --> 00:39:04,980 We want to teach people to be like g like Christ, that's teaching them to 853 00:39:04,980 --> 00:39:06,420 observe all that they've commanded him. 854 00:39:06,900 --> 00:39:10,380 That that Christ has commanded them and we want to train people to serve him. 855 00:39:10,455 --> 00:39:12,420 And, and, and that's the outflow of all of it. 856 00:39:12,870 --> 00:39:15,900 And so we wanna be a church that's busy about the work that God has for us to do 857 00:39:15,900 --> 00:39:17,430 that we can't do once we get to heaven. 858 00:39:17,730 --> 00:39:20,910 So let's be sure that we're gonna be a faithful church towards that end anyways. 859 00:39:21,480 --> 00:39:23,460 Can't wait to be back with you guys next week. 860 00:39:23,670 --> 00:39:24,480 Love you guys. 861 00:39:24,660 --> 00:39:25,770 Lemme pray and we'll be done. 862 00:39:26,460 --> 00:39:27,750 God, thanks for your word. 863 00:39:27,810 --> 00:39:29,400 Thanks for technology that we can still. 864 00:39:30,270 --> 00:39:34,049 Gather, so to speak, under the preaching of your word through YouTube and 865 00:39:34,049 --> 00:39:37,020 through videoing sermons and through microphones and everything else. 866 00:39:37,379 --> 00:39:40,529 Well, this doesn't feel great because it's, it's not what you've designed. 867 00:39:40,529 --> 00:39:41,670 It's not what it's supposed to be. 868 00:39:41,670 --> 00:39:44,520 We're supposed to be together, and I, I'm grateful. 869 00:39:44,520 --> 00:39:46,200 I'm thankful that it doesn't feel good. 870 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:48,899 To have things happen this way, and yet, Lord, we know that your 871 00:39:48,899 --> 00:39:51,330 word is true no matter what the context is in which we hear it. 872 00:39:51,450 --> 00:39:54,509 And so I pray, Lord, that we would give our attention to it, that we would live 873 00:39:54,509 --> 00:39:57,960 it out, and that we would be faithful to the task at hand, especially that 874 00:39:57,960 --> 00:40:00,600 Lord, as we think about our church, we wanna be a great commission church. 875 00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:03,569 We wanna be a church that sees the empty seats in the, in the auditorium 876 00:40:03,569 --> 00:40:05,310 filled up because we wanna be a church. 877 00:40:05,310 --> 00:40:07,350 That's about the work that you have for us to do, that we're not 878 00:40:07,350 --> 00:40:08,189 gonna be able to do in heaven. 879 00:40:08,279 --> 00:40:11,250 And so we pray all this and ask that you bring it to fruition in Jesus' name. 880 00:40:11,700 --> 00:40:12,149 Amen. 881 00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:13,830 Can't wait to see you guys in person. 882 00:40:13,830 --> 00:40:14,879 Lord willing, next Sunday.