A Great Commitment to the Great Commission
January 2, 2022
“A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission will grow a great church.”
— Rick Warren
QUESTION: What is the ?
“51% of Churchgoers Don’t Know of the Great Commission.”
— Barna Research
Matthew 28:16–20 (CSB)
16 The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted. 18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 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 everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 22:35–40 (ESV)
35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him: 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.
“The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.”
— James Hudson Taylor
What is the Great Commission?
1. A commission is an to perform prescribed acts on behalf of another. It is a task entrusted to one as an agent of another.
2. This commission was Christ’s and desire for what His church and disciples were to be about!
1. of Christ
Colossians 3:15–20
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. Hebrews 1:1–4
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
2. of Christ: Emmanuel, God with Us!
Matthew 1:20–23 (NASB)
20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 "And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins." 22 Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
Jehovah, Shammah: “The Lord is ”
Psalm 118:6–7
The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Deuteronomy 31:8 (ESV)
It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Hebrews 13:5–6
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
3. of the Great Commission: Make disciples!
Matthew 28:19–20
19 “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
matheteuo: to be a disciple, to make a disciple
To instruct with the purpose of becoming to the instructor, the purpose of making a disciple
Purpose of Making Disciples
1. Ultimate goal: be a disciple of Jesus
2. True disciples are disciples
4. : Go, baptize, teach!
5. : Go!
poreuomai: to go
“as you are going” or “having gone”
6. : Baptize them!
baptizo: to dip, sink; to (literally, “dip under”)
“Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.”
— Baptist Faith & Message
7. : Teach them to obey!
2 Timothy 3:14–17
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
8. for disciple-making
Matthew 22:35–39
35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him: 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.
Love God…Love People
1. Love God
2. Love people
Characteristics of a Disciple
1. the Lord (Mt. 22:36–39)
2. the Word (2 Tim. 3:16–17)
3. the Body (1 Cor. 12:27, Eph. 4:11–13)
4. Live (Mt. 22:37–39; 28:18–20)
