Our Place In His Story: To the Ends of the Earth
November 6, 2016
Thank you Debbie. What you just heard is the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ to change a heart and life forever. Debbie now wants what Jesus wants for her. She’s willing to do what He wants her to do. She’s willing to go wherever he sends her. Why? Because Jesus is her Savior and Lord. He created her, He gave His life for her and He rose from the dead to give her new life… and now she wants her life to matter for him.
What’s beautiful about Debbie’s story is that this is what God wants to see happen in the life of everyone on this planet. He wants everyone to turn from living for self and turn to faith in Jesus – to know Him and to experience the new life He gives: A life of forgiveness and reconciliation, a life of peace and joy, a life of purpose and hope. This is why Jesus last words to His disciples were so important. After coming to them on the mountain he said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, 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. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20
If you were here last week, we came to understand that Jesus was given dominion over all the earth. He was given authority to rule, and glory and a kingdom. So that those of every people, nation and language should serve him. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father; He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. There is no one greater, no one higher, no one more powerful than Jesus. And out of His authority, He gave us His plan to change the world.
His Plan: Make Disciples of all nations Anyone who believes that Jesus is your Lord is now commissioned by Jesus to go and make disciples of all the nations. This is not a command for the spiritual elite. This is not some special calling for a chosen few. This is a command given to everyday ordinary people who’ve found grace and mercy from Jesus. If you know Jesus, if you have faith in Jesus, if you’ve been baptized as a believer in Jesus… this command is for you. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, 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. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
With this command Jesus has told us our place in His story. You see, we began this month by taking a break from the Story of God to look at Our Place In His Story. And our place in his story was aptly summed up in one verse, where Jesus said, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8
That first week we learned we are His Witnesses. There is no plan B. Jesus left it to us to make him known in our Jerusalem, in our Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. And as His witness He gave us what we needed to do that. He gave us His Holy Spirit. It is His Spirit living in us that shows the world what the new humanity in Christ looks like. We are now His people, bearing His likeness, and bringing the good news to all that the kingdom of God is near. It is found in a person and His name is Jesus.
The second week we saw how God would have us be His witnesses in Our Jerusalem. We saw 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 the good news 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.
The third week we saw how God would have us be His witness in Our Judea. How God would have us care for the vulnerable among us like He does. 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.
Last week we saw how God would have us be His witness in Our Samaria. To partner to help plant new Churches throughout the desert Southwest. But even more than that – to be willing to send and even plant a new church right out of Rock Springs. And so we began to look at what it means to be disciples who make disciples. And we learned a few things about being a disciple.
A disciple is a worshiper first and a follower second. These two go together. Because if you worship Jesus you will want what He wants. Our as He said in John 14:21, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them is the one who loves me.” And that’s actually really easy to do once you come to know Jesus. Because once you realize He was willing to lay down His life for you, you can trust Him to lead you in a wise and loving way. You can give up your old way of life and embrace His way of life. You’ll submit to His reign and begin helping others learn to follow Jesus with you.
But now, here’s where we hit a snag in Jesus’ plan. We struggle with the how. How do we actually go and make disciples of Jesus? Now, some think that if we just get people to come to a church service, that it’ll do it. Some says if we can just get people to read their Bibles, that’ll do it. And others say that if we just had some discipling classes, or small groups, that will do it. But as well intended as those ideas are, none of them are what Jesus taught about how we are to make disciples. So, what did Jesus teach? Well, it’s right here in verses 18-20. Here, Jesus outlines His process for making disciples. It’s a three-step process: And the first step is pretty simple. He says, “go”
We make disciples by going: People Helping People Become Friends with Jesus “Therefore go… and make disciples of all nations…” This is an interesting word, “go”
This word implies movement. It’s the same word is used by God when he told Abraham to go to Mount Moriah to sacrifice his son. It’s the same word used by Jesus when he told his disciples to “Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: “The Kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 10:6-7
It’s the same word Jesus used in the parable of the lost sheep: “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety nine on the hills and go to look for the one who wanders off.” Matthew 18:12
It’s the same word that describes Jesus’ mission to us: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24
And finally, it’s the same word Jesus uses in the upper room to send His disciples: “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:21
We are now Jesus’ sent ones. He’s passing on to us the same mission he started! He sends us next door, down the road, and to the ends of the earth.
And yet there is another nuance to this word “go.” It can also be translated, “as you are going” or “as you are on your way.” So it speaks to fulfilling His command to make disciples as part of our everyday life. We are sent everyday. And every person we encounter along the way, in all of our relationships, are the very people God wants us to help become friends with Jesus. We are his “sent ones.”
But now the question: What are we sent with? We are sent with the same message Jesus was sent with. We are sent with the same message Jesus sent the 12 and the 70 to proclaim. We are sent with the gospel of the kingdom. The disciples made disciples by going with the good news about Jesus. They told people who Jesus was, they shared how Jesus lived, what Jesus taught and what Jesus did. Their message was the word and works of Jesus! Jesus, full of grace and truth; Jesus, the Word made flesh; Jesus, the one and only Son of God who gave His life for the world.
If there is a renewed need today, it is the need for God’s people everywhere to return to their first love – Jesus! To understand the power, the beauty, the grace and the life of the good news found in Jesus Christ. To be transformed by His grace, awakened by His truth and captivated by His life.
This is one reason why we want everyone to be part of a Journey Group. These groups are designed to help awaken us to the beauty of our Jesus. And when Jesus awakens our hearts to His goodness, He won’t just change us; we will want others to know how beautiful and amazing He really is. In him is life, abundant life, eternal life, real life, the life we are all looking for! He is the good news. Jesus is our message. And He sends us to share the good news. So Go! Go with the good news of Jesus & Jesus promises to go with us. That’s the first step in the process of making disciples.
Now the second: We are to make disciples by baptizing… By baptizing: Helping People Become Family with Jesus “…baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” Baptizing is the activity by which a new disciple publicly confesses their repentance and faith. In their baptism they are showing the world that they are leaving the old life behind and have entered into a new life with Christ. Baptism then is a sign that you have learned the gospel. It’s a sign of your belief in Jesus. In your baptism, you are declaring your identification with Jesus in his death as you are lowered into the water. In your baptism, you are declaring your identification with Jesus in his resurrection as you are raised out of the water. You are declaring to the world that you have a new life that is now dead to sin and alive to God.
But it is more than simply a sign of the new life of a Christ follower; for the person who is being baptized is being baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The spiritual reality of this is so significant. For it signifies that you are being united with a new family: God’s family. Your baptism declares that you have a new relationship with God as your Father and Jesus as your brother. Now you belong to a new family, an eternal family and have been untied with every other member of God’s family by the Holy Spirit. In your baptism you get to declare that you’ve been adopted into God’s forever family. You have a new life with God and God’s people.
You see, there is no such thing as a lone ranger Christian. It’s just not possible for someone whose been baptized into the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. For it is His Spirit in us that connects as the new community of God’s people. So when we are making disciples, we are helping people become family with Jesus. I love how Jonathan Dodson states this new reality. He says: Jesus did not die on a bloody cross to gather a lose collection of souls bound for heaven, but to create a new community as the proof of the gospel to the world.
So let me ask you? Have you put your trust in Jesus? And if you have, have you taken this step of obedience to show to the world that you have a new life –with a new family: with God as your Father, Jesus as your brother, and with the Holy Spirit now alive in you? You see if the Holy is living you, He wants to bring glory to Jesus. And if He’s living in you, if you haven’t been baptized, you will want to be. It’s that simple. That’s the second step in making disciples: Helping people become family with God by declaring their new relationship with God and God’s people through the waters of baptism. This why Jesus gave His life for the Church: He doesn’t leave us to ourselves, but brings us into His new community of redeemed people – His family. That’s the second step. Now the third…
We Make Disciples By Teaching: Helping People Become Followers of Jesus “and teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you”
Teaching is not on acquiring more knowledge about Jesus, although we must start there. Jesus said we are to teach them to observe everything I have commanded you. That’s what Jesus meant when he chose this word, “observe” he did so for a reason. This word “observe” has all kinds of nuances to its meaning. It can be translated, “keep,” “guard,” “protect,” and “obey.” What Jesus was saying to them is that they keep the gospel of Jesus central to their lives, to put into practice everything they learned from Jesus, and then they were not to keep this to themselves, but share everything of the what they’ve learned from Jesus and about Jesus with others.
And this is precisely what the early church did: They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42 The apostle’s teaching was the gospels. They early church immersed themselves in the gospels. They learned the gospels. In fact they were a story formed people. All four of the gospels were learned orally and passed onto the next generation. They didn’t have TV or Internet or books, or power point. They just had each other. So they sat around their homes and shared the story of Jesus over and over again.
And so the early church kept the life, the death and resurrection of Jesus central to everything they taught, everything they did, and how they lived. That’s why in the verses that follow Acts 2:42, we see a whole new way of living: Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
And might I add, this was just the beginning. For when you read through the book of Acts, God’s people were Jesus’ witnesses, in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. And this is where we find ourselves today. We’re here today, because of those who were faithful in making disciples of Jesus. But now it’s our turn. This is Our Place In His Story. Jesus still commands us to go and make disciples of all nations.
Right now we are doing our small part in this. Inside of every OCC Shoebox is the gospel story and lessons designed to make disciples. So, yes, in one way we are helping to make disciples with the children who receive these boxes. Another way we is that we send funds every quarter to what is called “The Great Commission Fund.” And these funds go to help missionaries in places like Syria and Bosnia, Mexico and Ecuador, Germany and Indonesia. And I am sure our Father is pleased at our generosity in this way. But the work is not done. As I have said before and will say again. Our God doesn’t want anyone to perish but all to turn to Him. So this is our place in the story. This is God’s plan to bring the good news of Jesus to the ends of the earth. And it begins with us. Everyday ordinary people, who are ready to help others become friends, family and followers of Jesus.
May Jesus continue to work in us to make disciples of Him – so that we will go, baptize and teach the world about our Jesus. Let’s pray.
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