Matthew 28 - The One Thing The Church Doesn't Get to Vote On!
Matthew 28 - NIV
Jesus Has Risen
28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
The first day of the week is Sunday, which is why most churches hold worship services on Sunday. We call Sunday the "Resurrection Day". It is interesting that the two Mary's were the first to the tomb. Mary was a common name in Jesus' day, and there were many Mary's in the gospels. Here is a good to read about it. The Many Mary's in the Bible
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
We know that due to the size of the large stone, which was locked into the cave where Jesus was buried, could not have been moved by any human. Therefore, it makes sense that only a powerful angel could do it. Apparently this was a pretty high powered angel, as his appearance was like lightning! The guards freaked out when they saw him.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
The angel then spoke to the two women. We know angels can speak, as we saw Gabriel speak the good news of Jesus' birth to Mary and Joseph. The angel showed the women the empty tomb, just as Jesus has said it would be,. Importantly, he told them Jesus had gone ahead of them and to tell the disciples.
Jesus is always ahead of us. He is always leading us back to himself. One day he will come back to take us with him to our heavenly home.
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
The women were startled yet filled with joy at the same time. Could it be true? Could Jesus really have risen from the dead? They hurried to find out with a sense of excitement. When Jesus met them, he greeted them and they knew right away by his voice it was him. The two women were overwhelmed. They were still in the first stage of grieving him being gone, and now he was right before them. The conflicting emotions must have been intense.
Jesus sensed their fear, so he tried to calm them down. He gave them their next assignment, which was to go tell the disciples to meet him Galilee. It made sense since Galilee had been the headquarters of their ministry together for three years. It would be very familiar territory for them.
The Guards’ Report
11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.
When the guards told the chief priests about the empty tombs, the priests panicked. What would they do now? Jesus had said he would rise from the dead. Was it true? If so, who knows what would be happen to them. So they devised a plan to cover their buttts. They gave the soldiers a large about of money to make the problem go away. They told them to make up a story that the disciples had stolen Jesus away while they were sleeping.
This was unbelievable for a couple of reasons. First, the soldiers were guarding the tomb with their lives ... literally. Second, there is no way the amount of noise it would have taken for the disciples to somehow roll away the stone would not have awakened them. For the soldiers this was a win-win. They would save their skin and also get paid.
This story gives more ammunition in proving that the resurrection literally happened. There is more evidence to believe Jesus rose from the grave than not. Someone has said, "The literal, physical, and bodily resurrection of Jesus is the linchpin of Christianity upon it stands or falls."
This saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day: Through the years, there have been many objections suggested to the resurrection of Jesus. Some say He didn’t die at all, but just swooned or fainted on the cross and spontaneously revived in the tomb. Others say He really died, but His body was stolen. Still others suggest He really died, but His desperate followers hallucinated His resurrection. A plain, simple understanding of these evidences of the resurrection of Jesus answers all of these theories, and shows they take far more faith to believe than the Biblical account does. - Guzik
We sometimes sing: “You ask me how I know He lives; He lives, He lives inside my heart.” But that is not the best way to prove Jesus lives. He lives because the historical evidence demands we believe in the resurrection of Jesus. If we can believe anything in history, we can believe the reliable, confirmed testimony of these eyewitnesses. Jesus rose from the dead. - Guzik
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 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.
These words, called "the Great Commission", are some of the most important words in all of the bible. They are the marching order for every Christian and every church. The mission Jesus gave to the disciples is the same one he has given to every church since Jesus rose from the dead. The Great Commission is the one thing the church doesn't get to vote on. In this sense it is every church's mission and purpose statement.
The Great Commission is a "co-mission". It is a mission between Jesus and the church (us). Importantly Jesus has given us all the authority to carry out this mission in His name. Since Jesus' name is the "name above all names", we never have to worry that Jesus is not with us as we carry it out, or if we have the power and authority to do it.
The basic mission is to "Go and make disciples of all nations." We don't make disciples by sitting around. It is a proactive and intentional effort. We can employ different strategies for making disciples as long as it is doing just that "making disciples".
Jesus gives two essential characteristics of a disciple. First, a disciple has been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Some may think baptism is an empty ritual but obviously it was important enough for Jesus to put it as the first priority. Why? Be, cause before you can do the work of the God, you need to have a relationship with God..
Baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is to cover us with all that God is with the three persons of the Trinity. The word baptism literally means to "immersed or completely covered" with all of God. Before we can do anything for God, we need to be child of God, marked with the cross of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit forever.
The beginning of discipleship is God choosing us, not us choosing God. Baptism is a sign that we are completely God's child. Our identity is wrapped up in God who is our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.
Baptism is not optional. Whether you are baptized as an infant or adult, the command is to be baptized. The command for the church is to baptize in the hame of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Generally speaking I don't think the church teaches enough about the purpose of baptism, its importance, and why it was the first thing Jesus commanded his disciples to do.
The second part is as important. Making disciples is about teaching them to obey all of God's commands. A disciple is to follow Jesus and do what he commanded and showed us what to do in the gospels. In its essence it is the Ten Commandments, though as we see Jesus expanded on the letter of the Law to include the Spirit of the Law. See the Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5-7
Though we are not saved by obedience, obedience is our response to the love God has poured out to us by sending His Son to save us. Finally, our obedience is empowered by the Holy Spirit. If we live by the Spirit, we will not indulge the desires of the sinful nature. Without the Spirit it is impossible to live a life of obedience. Just like we are justified by the work of Jesus on the cross, we are sanctified by the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and lives.
You can see why the Trinity is more than just a doctrine. If we want to follow the Great Commission we will need to have a proven strategy to make disciples that make other disciples. Notice everyone who becomes a disciple is called to make other disciples. The church does not have a top down. authoritative organizational chart. It is horizontal. Everyone gets to make disciples not just the pastor. In fact, the pastor's job and calling is to equip the saints for the work of ministry. Ephesians 4.
The pastor's job is to create a community of Christ followers empowered by the Holy Spirit who by nature are disciples who make disciples.
In our church we have a plaque, "Be A Disciple, Make A Disciple" Sounds simple enough, but it is not easy work. The devil does mind it if Christians go to church, but he hates it when they become disciples who make disciples.
Finally, Jesus ends with a promise. He tells us that He will be with us until the end of the age as we fulfill this Great Commission.
Question of the Day:
Are you a disciple who makes other disciples? Why or why not? If you are not ask your pastor if he has a plan to help you to do that. Hopefully they will!
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