Our Place In His Story: His Plan To Change The World

Why give funds to a new Church? I’m glad you asked. Because if you’ve been here during the month of October, we’ve been taking a break from the Story of God to look at our place in God’s Story.  And to do that we’ve been using Acts 1:8 as our launching pad. The first week we learned that we are to be His witnesses to our world. We are to make disciples of every nation. We are to make Jesus known to every tongue and tribe. We are to make Jesus known by how we love, by how we live, by sharing our story – and our story is His story. And so we are His witnesses: We are a people who share out of our personal knowledge and experience, the truth about who Jesus is and what He has done for us. But we also learned that we don’t do this in our own strength. He’s already given us what we need to succeed: He’s given us His Spirit. The moment you put your trust in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is now His Spirit who dwells in you that helps you bear witness to Jesus. That’s what we looked at the first week. That’s our place in His Story. We are His Witnesses.

The second week, we looked at what it looks like to be His witnesses in our Jerusalem. We looked at how Jesus was a friend of sinners. And how God uses our changed lives to show the world that there is a new way to live. And now, as we pray for them, learn their stories, and love them with an authentic love, opportunities will come to share our story of Jesus with them. So our vision for our Jerusalem is simply this: People helping people become friends with Jesus by becoming their friends through the rhythms of everyday life.

Then last week we looked at what it looks like to be His witnesses in our Judea, the area just outside our walls. How God would have us care for the vulnerable among us like He does. He is the one who is a father to the fatherless, who defends the cause of the widow, who lifts up the down-trodden, who protects the vulnerable, and He calls us to do the same, by walking humbly with Him by serving the least of these with compassion and justice. And so we outlined the beginning of our vision for our Judea, saying that we are To be the heart and hands of God to the most vulnerable around us through strategic partnerships in the Eloy, Casa Grande and Arizona City area. And our first partnership is with the Eloy Food Bank.

But now we come to our Samaria. And this is where Regeneration Church fits in.   As a new church plant, they can reach people with the gospel that we cannot. They can make disciples of Jesus Christ of the next generation. But they can’t do it alone. They need the help, the partnership of Churches like ours. We can help them financially. We can help them prayerfully. We can even send teams to serve with them. This is one way we can be an Acts 1:8 church to our Samaria. Jesus calls us to be His witnesses in our Samaria. There are people all over the Southwest who need Jesus. There are people in Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, Palm Desert, Los Angeles and Ocean Beach who need Jesus. One way we can be His witnesses throughout our Samaria is to partner to help plant new Churches. Maybe God would even have us send out people from our midst to help start a new Church at another Robson Community. The one thing I’ve learned is that we cannot put limits on what God wants to do through us. This is our place in His Story. We are to be His witnesses in our Jerusalem, in our Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. This is our calling. This is how we get to be fishers of men. This is His plan to Change the World. And it all begins with His call for us to make disciples of Jesus.

So if you’ve brought your Bible with you today, let me encourage you to find Matthew 28:16-20 Many of you are familiar with this passage, as it is commonly called the Great Commission. And beginning today we are going to take a closer look at His Plan to Change the World and how we fit into it. This is our place in His story. And what I love about God’s plan for us, is it all begins with Jesus. He is the one who thought up this plan and who gives us this plan. In fact, He Is the Ultimate Authority behind This Plan So if you’ve found Matthew 28, lets start with

Jesus, The Ultimate Authority: Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Matthew 28:16-18

The resurrected Jesus had told his disciple to come to this mountain to meet with him, so they came. When they arrived, Jesus came down to them, and the text says, they worshiped him, but some doubted. What I love about this picture is that we learn pretty quickly that these disciples were just like us. They came to be with Jesus, and when Jesus met with them, they worshiped Him.

That’s what disciples do. We are worshipers first and followers second. We come to meet with Jesus, our Savior and rejoice in His presence and express our love to Him. But we also come to hear His voice so we might remember that He loves us and is always for us. And then as we listen as followers so we might learn His ways and embrace this new life He gave us. So we’re very much like those first disciples, who wanted to be near Jesus, because Jesus was far more to them than a Jewish Rabbi. He was now their resurrected, living, Savior and Lord.   So they worshiped him. But even as they worshiped him, some doubted.

Some doubted. These same disciples who had been with Jesus for three and a half years; who had left jobs and families to follow him. Who saw him calm the seas, feed the five thousand, and raise Lazarus; who experienced his acceptance, heard His wisdom and grieved at his death… These same disciples who three days later, witnessed His resurrection and received His peace; now stood before their risen Lord and worshiped him, but still… some doubted.

What about you? You come here to worship Jesus, don’t you? After all, we say we are a Church all about Jesus. He’s our rock, our Savior and our Lord. But do you ever struggle with doubt? Do you ever wonder: “Did Jesus really die for me? Is God really for me? Does God really care about the burdens I carry? Does He really hear my prayers? Does He really want what’s best for me?” Maybe you’re a doubting worshiper this morning. And if you are, let me just say, “its ok, for you are in good company.” You are in the same company of the very people Jesus gave His plan to change the world.

So how does Jesus address their worship and calm their doubts? Listen to what he says next: “All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me.” Have you ever thought much about Jesus’ authority over heaven and earth? We live in a day where people throw their power and authority around to get what they want. Some use their power to take advantage of the vulnerable. Some use their power to wage war and strike fear in the hearts of their enemies. Some use their power to tell you how they want to spend your money. In fact, there are all kinds of power brokers in our world today. But there is only one person who has ALL AUTHORITY in heaven and earth, and His name is Jesus.

When Jesus spoke these words, they came in fulfillment of what was spoken of him by Daniel: “He was given authority to rule, 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.” Daniel 7:14

Jesus authority is the basis for everything else that follows. His authority over heaven and earth means that Jesus is not just the personal Lord and Savior over us. We often speak of the moment of our conversion by saying, “I decided to make Jesus my personal Lord and Savior.” And while there is much truth in that statement, we need to be careful not to miss the point of Jesus’ Lordship. You and I don’t decide to make Jesus Lord; He is Lord regardless of what we think of him. Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the grave, and now He is exalted at the Father’s right hand as the Lord over all creation. He is the Ultimate Authority in the Universe! There is no one greater, no one higher, no one more powerful than Jesus!

One day every knee is going to bow and every tongue is going to confess, “Jesus is Lord” – THAT’S A GUARANTEE. He is the ultimate authority OVER ALL. He is Lord and Savior over every nation, tongue and tribe. Do you see what Jesus is saying to these Jewish men, who thought God only cared about their nation? Jesus is saying that He is Sovereign over every nation. This is why He said, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” Because He came to die for every person of every tongue and every tribe and every nation. It is this picture of Jesus’s authority over every piece of real estate on our planet that we must feel the weight of, the significance of, before we ever hear one word of His plan.

Because once the weight of His authority over all the earth sinks in, it will change our perspective. And the perspective is this: Jesus wants to reign as the loving King in the heart of every human being on the face of the earth. Not just your neighbor who doesn’t know Jesus; not just the single mom picking up her basket of food at the Food Bank. No, He wants to reign in the heart of every man, woman and child on our entire planet. He is Lord over this entire world, and He doesn’t want anyone to perish, but all to turn to Him and know His great love.   He is the ultimate authority. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him.

So let me ask you: Is Jesus’ authority over heaven and earth real in your life?  When you hear his Word, does it carry weight in your life? Does Jesus’ authority compel you to listen to what He has to say to you? Because if it does, then you will hear His command, and you will want to do what He wants. HE is the ultimate authority; but do you really live under His authority? Do you really believe Jesus’ Word matters?

You see, Disciples don’t just worship Jesus – disciples live under the authority of Jesus. Disciples of Jesus no longer call the shots. They submit to the one who rules in love. Disciples believe there is no one greater, no one higher, no one more powerful than Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate authority…

Who Gives us His Ultimate Plan: That’s why He says, “Therefore” Therefore, on the basis of my authority over heaven and earth, go and Make Disciples of every nation on this earth. No need to question, no need to doubt. I have risen from the dead. I have authority over life and death. So listen to what I’m about to command you. And what’s His command? He Commands us to Make Disciples who Make Disciples

We are commissioned on the basis of His authority. He is Lord of all. If He is our Lord, then here is our calling, our life’s work: To Make Disciples. This is His Plan to Change the World. Anyone who claims that Jesus is Lord is now commissioned by Jesus to go to help every people group on this planet learn to follow Jesus as you have learned to follow me.

What is a disciple of Jesus? A disciple is someone who not only believes in Jesus, but worships Him as Lord of heaven and earth. A disciple is someone who surrenders to His authority to will learn from Jesus how to live and love like Him. A disciple is someone who obeys Jesus and is baptized into the family of God: baptized into the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This baptism signals the end of the old life. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live. The life I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and died for me.” So a disciple turns away from the old empty way of life they once knew and embraces the new life with their Savior.  Then this disciple lives as a “sent one.” He goes, she goes wherever Jesus sends him or her, to help others become friends, family and followers of Jesus. The whole earth is our mission field, whether that be next door, outside these walls, across the desert or across the ocean. We go in His name. We act on His authority; knowing that God doesn’t just love the least of these, but all of these. For every single living being that we lock eyes with is someone He died for and wants to see come home to him.

Ultimately, then, every single disciple is a disciplemaker. If Jesus is now living in you, you are by nature a disciple maker. It is part of your spiritual DNA. Jesus was the ultimate disciplemaker. He came to make disciples, and now His disciplemaking DNA is in us, because His Spirit is in us. And not only that, but Jesus himself says that we were appointed by Him to bear much fruit. Therefore, every Christian has this capacity – and the God-given responsibility to reproduce. So regardless of your personality, your experience, your baggage, or your excuses, if you are a disciple of Jesus, you are His chosen instrument to change the world.

This then is why our mission statement reads: We are “People helping people become friends, family and followers of Jesus” So you can no longer say, “I don’t have what it takes” because you do. You have the Spirit of God living in you. He simply calls you to obey: to follow Him and help others learn how to follow Him. The rest of this passage gives us the how. By going, by baptizing, and by teaching them to obey. Next week we will look at the how.

But that’s it. That’s His Plan to Change the World. This is how we are to be witnesses of Jesus with our lives in our Jerusalem, in our Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. And the beauty of His plan, is that He promises to help us as we obey Him.

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

So, in light of Jesus authority, what is He saying to us today? I would say this: He has given us an assignment. By His authority He has commissioned us to go make disciples of every nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. Some of you may have never understood this. Some of you may have thought that this is someone else’s responsibility. And some of you may have fought this. But the truth is, we are in this together… with Jesus. This now is why we have Journey Groups. This is why our goal is to help everyone of you learn to follow Jesus with others.

Up to this point in the development of our Church, I’ve actually tried to keep this low key. But no longer. For if we are going to find our place in God’s story; it starts here. Disciple making cannot be an add-on or a program in our church. It’s our very mission. Given to us by the Highest Authority on Heaven and Earth – Jesus. If we are truly going to be a church that’s all about Jesus… then His plan to change the world must become ours.