Matthew 28 - What Did Jesus Tell Us To Do Until He Comes Back?

Matthew 28 - NIV

Enduring Word Commentary

Verses for the Day

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.”

Commentary

I have many different life verses, which are bible passages that have greatly impacted me at different times in my Christian life. One of the first was Romans 12:1-2, 

"In view of God's mercy offer your bodies as a living sacrifice which is holy and acceptable to God. Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

This was a time where I re-committed my life to Christ, and needed to turn from some things I was doing apart from God. I was conforming to the world not being transformed by the renewing of my mind in Christ. 

Another life verses come from John 10:10 where Jesus said, "I have come to give you life and life abundantly." 

This verses made me realize that following Jesus is not a "buzz kill". Jesus gave me the life I could have never dreamed of and always wanted. Eventually this included one day become a pastor. So many people settle for a mediocre life, always playing it safe and never taking any risks. I was never a risk taker, but I starting taking risks for Jesus and I experienced the abundant life he was talking about. 

Today's passage is my life verse for my calling as a pastor. It is my job description. It is how God measures success and fruitfulness. It is the mission statement and purpose statement for every church. We don't have to vote it. 

These are Jesus' last words to the disciples before he ascends to heaven to be back with His Father until He returns. They are what we call the "Great Commission". I love the movie the "Blue Brothers" where Jake and Elwood Blues played by John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd say together, "We're on a mission from God!"

Friends, we too are a on a mission for God. What is our mission? To make disciples of all nations, specifically disciples of Jesus. The word disciple can sound a little "cultish" to some people. There are cults where people were disiciples of people like David Koresh, Jim Jones, or Sun Myung Moon.

The Great Commission about going and making disciples of Jesus. Or, we might say followers of Jesus. A follower of Jesus is someone who learns to say and do the things Jesus would he were them. A disciple is learning to be more like Jesus every day. It is a process for sure and none us will become perfectly Christ-like in this life. But we can grow and become more like him, especially with the help of the Holy Spirit, which he has given us to be our helper and guide!

There are a lot of things to say about the Great Commission, but I want to focus on what it means to make disciples, or followers of Jesus. How does Jesus tell  us to make disciples? 

He says, "By baptizing and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you." Teaching them to obey all that Jesus commanded is pretty straightforward. We have four gospels filled with what Jesus taught. And as we have already said it is a process. Our whole lives we are learning how to obey the things Jesus commanded us to obey. 

What the church has been less clear about is what does the term "baptizing" mean? The key is in the phrase "baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit". It is one of the only places the bible explicitly mentions the Trinity. The word baptize means to "fully immerse". To be baptized is to be fully immersed into everything that God is as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity has fellowship within itself. Being baptized means you are brought into the family of God. 

Baptism is all about identity. When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John, the Father's voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to him!" 

You see it is our identity as sons and daughters of God and filled with the Holy Spirit that we are given the power to do the things Jesus commanded us to do. This why we need the church. A church is a place we gather as Jesus' disciples, worship God, learn from His Word, and do life together learning how to be more like Jesus to each other and in the world. 

And church isn't just for its members. We invite others to experience the love of God, believe in Jesus and be baptized. This is the Great Commission and as we do it together we know Jesus is with us and has given us the authority and power to accomplish it! 









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