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Title: Our Commander & King
We’re wrapping up our 2 ½ years in the gospel of Matthew with some very well known verses.
These are understood to be the Great Commission
They’re the final commands from our Commander & King to all His followers.
One of the temporary roles of our president is Commander & Chief of the most powerful nation in the world.
But Jesus is the Commander and King of the Universe for all of time.
Our presidents have shared some funny descriptions of what it’s like to be in their shoes.
Bill Clinton once complained,
"Being president is like running a cemetery: you've got a lot of people under you and nobody's listening.”
Ronald Reagan shared about the tiring and sometimes boring nature of the position when he said,
"I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency—even if I'm in a Cabinet meeting."
Lyndon Johnson bemoaned his lack of support in the press when he shared,
"If one morning I walked on top of the water across the Potomac River, the headline that afternoon would read: 'President Can't Swim.'"
These are examples of some of the frustrations that the POTUS can have with those around them.
Thankfully our Commander & Chief patiently works in and through us in order to accomplish His will.
We’ll learn this morning what His will is for His followers, what it means, and that it’s His power that makes it happen.
Let’s read our verses which close the gospel of Matthew.
* Matthew 28:16–20 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This morning, I’m first making 2 observations about the last situation that Matthew tells us about.
First of two observations
WORSHIP OF OUR COMMANDER & KING WAS HINDERED BY DOUBT.
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
We’re told they went to the mountain in Galilee.
The Sermon on the Mount ( Ch. 5) is described as taking place on the mountain in Galilee as well.
Matthew seems to describe the disciples’ experience circling back to a starting place.
This is similar to how John brings his gospel full circle back to the water’s edge at the Sea of Galilee.
It’s not that the two gospel contradict one another.
They just have lots of material to place into the emphasis of Jesus’ ministry that they are narrating.
This is the mountain that King Jesus directed them to meet Him at.
We see a mixed response to Jesus’ appearance.
They worshiped Him –
προσκυνέω - to express one’s complete dependence, submission to a high authority figure
But some doubted – This could be a general reference to the doubt that we know of (being Thomas).
Regardless, the term points to a hesitation to be all in on the moment – not a refusal to believe.
The idea of something being too overwhelming or the saying “too good to be true” comes to mind.
The New Testament Commentary asks the question,
“Was their ‘hesitation’ also increased by the fear that they might not receive a very friendly reception from the one they had recently abandoned and denied?”
Apply –
The commentator, Jeremias, pointed out –
“Fear and trembling, anxiety, uncertainty and doubt struggle with joy and worship.”
This points to the vital necessity of God’s Word in feeding our worship.
We must be believing God’s truth in our hearts and minds in order to worship as we should.
We must be feeding our soul with His truth like how you have to feed a wood stove if you want it to radiate heat.
Our second observation comes from v. 18
THE RESURRECTION OF OUR COMMANDER & KING RESULTED IN HIS FULL AUTHORITY.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
The term authority embodies both the physical power to do something and the right.
When officers show up to someone’s house, an arrest warrant gives them the authority to force the person to go with them.
When they show up knocking down the door and dragging the person out against their will, they’re showing that they have the strength to make the person go with them.
Both of these principles are embodied in the term authority.
Matthew’s whole gospel has been stressing Jesus’ authority over our world.
He taught with authority.
He showed His ability to heal.
He revealed His right to forgive sins.
He exercised His dominion over Satan and his demons.
He delegated His authority to the apostles.
In or passage, we see Jesus as the one who has shown Himself to be the Son of Man from Daniel 7
This is the passage that He referenced when He told the Jewish Council that they would see Him coming in power.
The Prophecy of Daniel 7:13-14 states –
* Daniel 7:13–14 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. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
Having resisted temptation and conquered death, His resurrection seals His position as our sympathetic Savior King.
There’s no place in heaven and earth where Jesus is not Lord.
Abraham Kuyper famously said:
“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!”
Or as John Piper paraphrased the same –
“There is not one square inch on planet earth over which the risen Christ does not say, ‘Mine and I rule it. I am supreme over it.’”
BEC - Since Jesus Christ today has all authority, we may obey Him without fear. No matter where He leads us, no matter what circumstances we face, He is in control. By His death and resurrection, Jesus defeated all enemies and won for Himself all authority.
Since Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth, we can obey Him without fear of consequences.
Wherever He leads and to do whatever He wants, He’s in control.
This is as sure as the fact that He defeated all His enemies & won His rightful place as Commander & King
Let’s combine these two observations to help us to recognize something
Our two observations are that
Worship of Our Commander & King was Hindered by Doubt.
The resurrection of our Commander & King resulted in his full authority.
Considering these two ideas together, we can see the need for our worship to be informed by who Christ is.
No matter what we see going on around us, God still reigns.
Christ is still on His throne.
There’s no greater power and nothing can thwart His ultimate purpose for this world.
As we serve Him through thick and thin, I think it’s helpful to remember this interesting seal.
It belonged to the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society.
You can see on the seal is a bull or ox (I can’t tell them apart).
In front of the ox is a plow.
Behind the ox is an altar with a fire burning on it.
The insignia on the seal says, “Ready For Either”
What’s it mean?
The ox on the seal is fit for the plough or for the altar of sacrifice.
In the same way, the seal reminded missionaries that they might serve God in their fruitful labor
Or they might serve Him through being laid on His altar in suffering.
And they needed to be ready for either.
Jesus is in control of all things in heaven and on earth.
When our doubt is informed by this truth, we are better ready to labor or to sacrifice.
All can be seen as being an offering of worship.
And we can trust that He’s the one that is choosing for us which one we will participate in.
At a military base or military campaign, there might be a “standing order” from the commander.
A standing order is a general command that’s expected to be obeyed no matter what the circumstance.
It may be easy or the situation may shift to make it difficult or even near impossible.
Still, until the commander lifts the standing order, it’s expected to be obeyed.
Among many of His commands, Jesus gave us His standing order – Make disciples.
Next we’re looking at our standing order as we learn how to –
OBEY OUR COMMANDER & KING.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
It’s easy to think that Jesus is telling us all to become missionaries.
And in some way that’s true that we are to be missionaries in our daily lives.
But it’s easy to think that we’re to GO somewhere unusual to us to spread the gospel.
This is be cause it appears like Jesus’ command is to GO.
Actually, the command is to make disciples as we are going about our lives.
Let’s look at how our standing order from our Commander & King is this -
BEING DISCIPLES WHO MAKE DISCIPLES
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
As I said, the command that our Commander and King is giving here is to make disciples.
The word GO is actually modifying the command to make disciples.
Jesus is saying, “while you’re going, be making disciples”
We’ll get into what that looks like.
For now, let’s notice that the command to make disciples among all nations/ethnicities.
With Jesus being the Son of Man to whom has been given all dominion and authority, it follows that all people groups fall under His reign.
Also, Jesus having all authority means that any person, no matter what ethnicity can have full access to God through the powerful name of Jesus.
Illus – [Needle And Thread]
A native of the Congo prayed in this way:
“Dear Lord, You be the needle and I’ll be the thread. You go first, and I will follow wherever You lead.”
Apply –
We need to have the same sense of surrender to our Lord Jesus.
We need to be surrendered to the fact that God wants us to be disciples who make disciples
As yourself –
How am I allowing other followers of Christ help me to better follow Christ?
Who am I intentionally helping to follow Christ?
Moving on, we’re to Obey Our Commander & King, Being Disciples Who Make Disciples -
WHO HAVE SURRENDERED TO CHRIST IN BAPTISM
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
I want you to notice something with these 3 aspects that start with “Who…”
What these are communicating is the type of disciples that we are to be and the type of disciples that we are to make of others.
Jesus goes on to describe how His followers are to make disciples as they’re going about their lives.
Making disciples involves baptizing and teaching
Essentially, the command to make disciples is a call to be bringing others into salvation and submission to the Lordship of Jesus.
Baptism involves being “all in” – becoming a part of the Jesus community of His followers.
It’s a departure of allegiance to the world’s way of life and acknowledgement that we belong to Christ.
It’s a surrender to everything that Jesus has taught us before learning everything Jesus has taught.
Being baptized into the name of a person means coming into full allegiance with them.
Being baptized into the full number of the Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) means pledging ourselves to God.
Thankfully, we do so in the merit of the righteousness of Christ and not on our own merit or promise of total obedience.
In other words, we’re clothed in the righteousness of Christ at our salvation.
When we commit to ourselves to Christ in baptism, we’re not kept in Christ based on our own merit.
Were kept in Christ based on His righteousness and power.
Yet obedience is what we promise in being baptized and it’s to be the first step in that life of obedience.
And this requires being taught in order that we might obey.
Obey Our Commander & King, Being Disciples Who Make Disciples -
WHO HAVE LEARNED TO OBEY CHRIST.
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
Up to this point in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus was the only one who is described as teaching.
Now and forward on, His disciples are expected to pass on His teaching.
Illus – [Jesus without hands]
During World War II, a church in Strasbourg was destroyed.
Nothing remained except a heap of rubble and broken glass.
As they cleared away the bricks, they uncovered a statue of Christ still standing tall.
In spite of all the bombing it was unharmed except that both hands were missing.
Eventually, the church was rebuilt.
One day a sculptor saw the figure of Christ, and offered to carve new hands.
The church officials met to consider the sculptor’s offer—and decided not to accept the offer.
The reason was explained by the church members
“Like our broken statue, Christ touches the spirits of men, but He has no hands to minister to the needy or feed the hungry or enrich the poor—except our hands.”
Apply –
If we haven’t learned to obey all that Chrsit commanded, we need to be further discipled.
So, we should all be continually discipled by others.
Discipling others is the task that Jesus has given us to do.
Also, it’s through being discipled that we learn how to apply what the Bible teaches to our everyday lives.
Being taught all that Jesus commands cannot be accomplished with Sunday mornings alone.
Everything we go through can be addressed with God’s Word.
But we need further discipleship to help us to apply God’s truth to our daily lives.
An approach that I like to utilize in regard to discipleship is what we call the 3-Layer Approach…
This approach intends to be applied in any issue of life (devotions, struggles, dating, marriage, etc.)
We can be discipled in any of these 3 layers.
These layers can also be used to guide discipleship of others.
Teaching: Learn what God’s Word has to say about the issue and how He desires for us to apply His truth
Demonstrating: Personally, observing how a mature Christian goes about obeying God with the issue of life.
Coaching: Receive person counsel on the specifics of the issue in our life and held accountable to improve.
Moving on to our final aspect of obeying our Commander & King, we come to one last idea.
I challenge you to Obey Our Commander & King, Being Disciples Who Make Disciples -
WHO LEAN ON THE PRESENCE AND POWER OF GOD.
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Through the Old Testament, God promised to remain with His people Israel.
His presence, as the God of the Universe, set them apart from all other nations.
In Matthew 1, Jesus is shown to be Emmanuel – God with us.
In chapter 18, He promised to join two or more of His followers who gather in His name.
Here, in the close of His gospel, Jesus promises His presence as His church carries out His will.
And this promise is given with the full assurance that He has opened the way for us to access God’s throne of mercy to find grace and help in time of need.
But this is not just a heart-warming reassurance.
Quote – The New Testament Commentary states,
“it is not so much a cozy reassurance as a necessary equipment for mission”
In other words, Jesus is encouraging His disciples that He is supplying the power of His presence.
He is promising His powerful presence as we are on His gospel-mission.
Or as one writer puts it
“A Christian is a mind through which Christ thinks;
a heart through which Christ loves;
a voice through which Christ speaks;
a hand through which Christ helps.”
Do you believe that Jesus is going to be faithful in helping you obey what he’s told you to be doing?
Are you missing the joy of Christ’s presence because of not obeying Him in discipling others?
If you want to experience the powerful presence of God, be about what Christ is about.
Be a disciple who is making other disciples
Who Have Surrendered to Christ in Baptism
Who Have Learned to Obey Christ
Who Lean on the Presence and Power of God
Let me close with a poem by G. Wagoner titled, “If God Could”
If God can hang the stars on high,
Can paint the clouds that drift on by;
Can send the sun across the sky,
What could He do through you?
If He can send a storm through space,
And dot with trees the mountain’s face;
If He, the sparrow’s way can trace,
What could He do through you?
If God can do such little things
As count our hairs, or birds that sing,
Control the universe that swings,
What could He do through you?
Answer: He can change your life so that you change other’s lives so that they change other’s lives in Christ.
