Jesus Christ is whom we serve, worship and Proclaim.

Matthew 28:16-21

Structure:

1. The Foundation of the Church: The Absolute Authority of Jesus 

2. The Mission of the Church: To make Disciples

    1. Water Baptism

    2. Teaching Jesus and His will

3. The Confidence of the Church: Jesus is with us.

Versus:

-Daniel 7:13-14 "and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

- "even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me" - Psalm 23:4

Quotes: 

- John Hammet says it well "“for the one being baptized, it should be a Memorial Day as a wedding, the day of public commitment to a life of love and union with the Lord. For the baptizing community, it should be an occasion as joyous as the birth of a new child into the family, with solemn dedication to the task of caring for this new member of the family” (Hammet, 318).

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Sermon Notes: 

What should give us confidence to stand firm? What should give our church the drive and direction to go further?

• The answer is found in Matthew 28:16-20

• These are the last words of Jesus to his disciples before he is ascended.

• Jesus is saying foundational truths that should guide and empower the church

We will highlight three key truth, that hopefully gives us clarity, firmness and drive in this hospitable confused world!

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I. The Foundation of the Church: The Absolute Authority of Jesus Christ (v. 16-18)

The church has confidence in Jesus, that he has authority over all things, and that he is the one we proclaim and serve.

• Consider the condition that the disciples are in.

◦ Their Lord and Savior whom they believed to be the Messiah, just died from the most horrible death.

◦ They are afraid of the Jerusalem leaders, because they might be next.

◦ Now they hear that Jesus is raised from the dead, which doesn't really happen. They are confused about what is going on.

⦾ Especially as the soldiers in the previous context were spreading lies that the disciple stole the body of Jesus.

◦ This is a tough condition to be in. Confusion and fear is in your heart.

• When they the 11 disciples saw him

◦ These were the closest people to Him, the ones he spent all his time with, teaching, leading and shepherding.

◦ "They worshiped Him" - not simply sayin, "hello Jesus", or "hug him". But responding to him as God, who alone deserves worship and adoration.

⦾ And Jesus does not rebuke them, because He deserves to be worshiped!!!!

◦ "Yet some doubted" - this doesn't mean they didn't believe, but they weren't sure how to respond to Jesus. Mixed response in times of uncertainty.

• Jesus comes to them and says "All authority has been given to me in heaven and earth"

◦ Jesus on earth already had all authority:

⦾ Authority in teaching " (7:9)

⦾ Authority over sickness (8:9) over nature (8:26), over spiritual world (28-34)

⦾ Authority to forgive sins (9:8)

⦾ Authority to raise people from the dead

◦ He lacked no authority, why is he saying it has been given to him?

⦾ This is referring to his completed and accomplished work on the Cross and the Resurrection.

⦾ Jesus came to conquer sin and death.

⦾ Sin is what kept kept us from God, it is what created so many problems, and it is what will lead us to hell.

⦾ He could have wiped us out from the face of the earth, and created a new creation.

⦾ Yet, he did something absolutely different.

⦾ He became a man, born of a virgin, and experienced our brokenness.

⦾ God himself became a man.

⦾ He felt our pains, our sorrows, and we went to the cross, taking all of our sins on himself.

⦾ He died a painful death. Experiencing the wrath of God that we were to experience. He paid it in full.

⦾ Yet, death did not have a hold on him, the chains were not strong enough, because he was raised on the Third day.

⦾ Now after all that Jesus say: has power over sin and death and the Devil.

⦾ He holds the keys of hell.

⦾ He has vindicated and justified his authority in a new kind of way.

⦾ Daniel 7:13-14 "and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.".

⦾ Jesus is standing before them as a conqueror.

⦾ He had done it!

⦾ It is rightfully all his, not only because he is God but because he conquered. 

If that is the case, why do we experience trials, pain and suffering?

• Because he will's them all to be for now.

◦ He teaches and leads us through them.

◦ He refines us in fire, to be strong and depend on Him.

• Yet, there will comes a day, when Jesus will come back on a white horse, with a fiery sword and will bring us home. And there we will have absolute peace and joy.

This is the foundation of the church: Jesus is the absolute authority, and we serve, worship and proclaim him

• Not morality, or good ideas, or even our amazing gatherings. But HIM, HIM we worship, serve and proclaim!!!!

• This Jesus bought his church with his own precious blood, to be His.

• No matter what the world says around us, or the way we may look before others, we serve this Lord

◦ We walk before Him and him alone!

• The church is Christ's kingdom, through which he spreads his kingdom to the ends of the earth.

• Do not look at Jesus as a beggar walking around asking for someone to accept him, see him as the greatest of all beings.

◦ This is Jesus is the LORD, we can be confident in this confused generation because we serve this Lord.

◦ The cross is not a weakness, its the power of God to destroy all sin.

What is your response today? -

Will you submit to Him today, and receive him by faith and repentance, serving Him in obedience as his disciple. Or will he submit you at the last day when he will come?

• The church has power and authority because Jesus has absolute power and authority.

• We do what he says, and we can be confident that it will be the way he said it will be.

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II. The Mission of the Church: To Make Disciples of Jesus (19-20a)

The mission is not to wait for Jesus's return. Even though that is also important. But to Make disciples!

The thrust of the command is not on "Go" but on "make disciples"

• In other words "go and make disciples" or  "as you are going make disciples",

That is the main function of the church: It is to make Jesus known to the people as Lord and Savior, and as they respond to the message in repentance and faith, we baptize them and teach them how to live as disciples of Jesus.

• This is the commission from Jesus to his church, not just to the 11 disciples, but to all of us.

◦ We all need to point to Jesus who is the supreme Lord and Savior of our souls.

◦ We all need to be in each others lives to help live out what Jesus has taught us.

This is why the church exists on earth: you cannot be a solo Christian, you need the church to grow into mature man or woman of Christ!

• Jesus completed his work, and he has absolute authority of the universe and now he is sending us out on a mission on making disciples, who make disciples.

• A disciple is someone who seeks to learn from his teacher and master.

◦ A disciple needs to be humble, who wants to hear his master.

◦ In the Jewish context a disciples is not simply a student, who goes to school and then at home does whatever he wants to.

⦾ A disciple lives with his master, he does not only learns his trade but his way of life.

⦾ A disciple of Jesus is the one that walks with Jesus every step of the way, through thick and thin

⦾ Not just when it's convenient.

⦾ To do things that might seem odd, or foolish to the world, but you are ready for that, because Jesus said so.

◦ Ask yourself: am I a disciple of Jesus?

⦾ Is he speaking into how I live? How I spend my money? How I raise my kids? How I use my leisure time?

⦾ Do I submit to him? - or do I give excuses, that the dog ate my homework???

⦾ Do I seek to be faithful to Him in all of life?

⦾ Is there an area in my life where God has no say? - my hobbies? movies? secret desires?

⦾ Submit to him all the way!!!

• Notice how this process of making disciples look like: baptizing them and then teaching them to obey Jesus's commands.

◦ Water Baptism - a physical stamp of discipleship

⦾ This Is a ones for all decisive act of proclaiming to all that you are under Jesus and you commit into a local Christian community.

⦾ That to happen, the person needs to hear about Jesus, who he is and what he has done.

⦾ Then to believe Jesus, repenting of your sins, and trusting in the achieved work on the cross.

⦾ Only then you profess through a physical way that your allegiance is to Jesus. 

⦾ Baptism is connected to a start of the disciples walk.

⦾ The inner change is proclaimed to the world.

⦾ In the book of Acts baptism has been associated with those who repented and believed in Jesus.

⦾ Thus the prerequisite for baptism is true heart change and is made by a credible confession of faith.

⦾ By the way that is why we don't baptize babies because the church in the new covenant is made up of regenerate believers.

⦾ Matthew points to the Trinitarian formula in Baptism: In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

⦾ In the name of "means loyalty, belonging and submission to God"

⦾ Out all the places in the Bible this perhaps the clearest emphasis on the Trinity of God.

⦾ Not only is Jesus worshiped here, not only does he possess absolute authority but he places himself in line with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

⦾ Also he says not in the "names" of, but rather "in the name of". One God three persons!

• We baptize believers with the most important fact that God is Triune and He is involved totally in the work of Redemption and Salvation!

• John Hammet says it well "“for the one being baptized, it should be a Memorial Day as a wedding, the day of public commitment to a life of love and union with the Lord. For the baptizing community, it should be an occasion as joyous as the birth of a new child into the family, with solemn dedication to the task of caring for this new member of the family” (Hammet, 318).

But baptism is a start of the disciple journey, Jesus goes on to say "teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you"

• Teaching Jesus and his will - a practical way of a disciple

◦ Baptism is just the start, learning and growing is a life-long process.

⦾ We are not simply calling people to repent, but to repent, believe, be baptized and learn from Jesus. 

◦ In a sense Matthew wants us to remember the sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.

⦾ There Jesus outlines how one is to live differently from this world.

⦾ How one is to live as his disciple.

◦ As kingdom people we live differently from this world.

⦾ How often we see Christians that don't look different at all:

⦾ They lie, cheat and steal.

⦾ They do what will give them the best benefit. Living for their own desires.

They look out for their own good, not for the others.

⦾ Yet Jesus says love those who hate you, be merciful, hunger for righteousness, look for peace, be pure in heart.

◦ Do we take that seriously?

⦾ In a world where we are bombarded by so many ideas how to live and what to do, and how our goals should be, do we seek the LORD?

⦾ Do we study Jesus's word? Do we saturate our mind with his Truths? Do they appear in our acts and our ways?

◦ If you are not walking a disciple of Jesus , repent before Him, and stand on your feet and walk with Jesus.

⦾ If you area saying you are Jesus's disciple then you will teach and learn to obey Jesus.

◦ That is why in our church we call people to follow Jesus but also we teach from the Word of God how do we now live.

⦾ That is why we have the church, where each one is teaching and pointing to Jesus's word for our lives.

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So we saw the foundation and the mission of the church, and lastly

III. The Confidence of the Church: Jesus is with us (20b)

Jesus says: "I am with you always, to the end of the age"

• These are the most comforting words in all scripture.

• Matthew starts and ends this book with this same idea:

◦ After the Genealogy of Jesus, Jesus named as "Immanuel" God with us (1:23)

◦ Here he says the same idea that even though Jesus is leaving them physically, he will be with them always by his Spirit.

◦ He is with us to lead, to empower and to provide.

⦾ What else do we need to stand firm in this mission?

As we are looking into this world, so hostile. We see ourselves so weak, being fed by constant junk through social media. We fall and follow our own desires.

• Jesus is with us!!! He sent his Spirit who is among us:

• We can say confidently stand with king David and say "even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me" - Psalm 23:4

• He directs the church, we are not alone, trying to figure out exactly what to do, he is among us, guiding and leading.

In your fears, anxieties and doubts know He is with us!

• As we look into these believers being baptized this is prof that He is saving.

• As we look at our church growing and maturing it is his work.

As we conclude: Ask yourself:

• Is Jesus whom you truly serve and proclaim?

• Are you a true disciple, who is making disciples?

• And are you not afraid because He is with you?