Sermon Tone Analysis

*Intro*

I am glad to be back at Living Hope!

We have been working through a year long series called “Back to the Basics: Knowing why you believe what you believe.”

We are almost at the end now.

I am hoping we will finish this series by the end of this month.

We have been talking about the church of Jesus Christ with this point:

/10.

That the church, consisting of all true believers, being Christ's own and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, is the Body of Christ, the invisible church; that the church is holy, universal and one in Christ; that the invisible church manifests itself in the visible church, the local congregations consisting all who profess to believe in Christ and are baptized; that as the people of God and a kingdom of priests, the church is called to grow unto the stature of the fullness of Christ and to fulfill her missionary work through the exercise of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, in worship, ordinances, fellowship, discipline, and services./

Today I want to take a closer look at what has been called the Great Commission of the church.

What is the purpose of us being here on Glen Ellyn Road?

What is the purpose of our church?

Generally speaking, if you asked people what the purpose of the church was, some might say fellowship.

We all are here in this country or this state or neighborhood and we love to hang out.

And so since we love to hang out and we grew up in Christian homes, let’s hang out together as a loving community until Jesus comes back.

Now there is partial truth to this right?

Jesus said that unbelievers will know we are Christians by our love (John 13:35).

Still others would say the purpose of the church is preaching and teaching.

We are called to strengthen, edify, build up, people through God’s Word into maturity in Christ.

Due to lack of knowledge, the people perish, Hosea says (Hos. 4:6).

There is truth to this too.

We all want to grow and the Word is important and central to that happening.

Last time we looked at what a God-honoring church looked like and that included fellowship and being devoted to the Word.

But I want to propose to us today that the purpose of the church is bigger than fellowship and teaching, though those two things are essential ingredients.

All of that is under a larger umbrella.

In the climax of the gospel of Matthew here in Matt.

28:18-20, we find Jesus giving His disciples essentially the point of their and our existence.

I summarized it this way: /The church, fueled by the authority and presence of Christ, is called to be God’s vehicle of bringing glory to Him through making disciples of all people, without distinction./

Let’s unpack that here today.

Here is what I want to start with: 

*I.

**The church is fueled by the presence of Jesus Christ (vv.16-18a, 20b) *

Let’s set the context.

Jesus has resurrected and appeared to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Matt.

28:1).

Jesus then appeared to Peter next (Luke 24:34; 1 Cor.

15:5).

He then appeared the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).

Later that evening, He appeared to the disciples (John 20:19-23) and then eight days later, He appeared again, and the whole Thomas doubting-then-believing incident occurred (John 20:24-29).

Shortly after this, he shows up at the sea when the disciples decide to go fishing (John 21).

We learn in Acts (Acts 1:3) that Jesus was with the disciples, off and on, for 40 days following His resurrection.

So Matthew 28:16-20 deals with the time probably halfway within the 40 days before Jesus ascends to Heaven.

This is because the Mount of Olives, where Jesus ascends to Heaven in Acts, is outside Jerusalem, and it would take a few days to get there from Galilee.

Now Jesus had told the disciples to meet Him in Galilee (Matt.

28:10) at a mountain where we are not sure of, but was familiar to them.

Mountains seem to be significant in Matthew.

Each time a mountain is mentioned, there is some significant revelation about Christ there.

In Matt.

5:1, Jesus preaches the Sermon on the Mount, as the New Moses, who was given the Ten Commandments on a mountain.

Again in Matt.

17, Jesus is transfigured with Moses and Elijah, showing us that Jesus fulfills both the Law (represented by Moses) and the Prophets (represented by Elijah).

Now here in Matt.

28, we see Christ will send His disciples on a mission, again like a greater Moses, giving the people their purpose in life.

Some have suggested that more than the Eleven (Judas has killed himself) are here.

In 1 Cor.

15:6, Paul tells us Jesus met with 500 people at one time.

Many scholars think this was during the Great Commission here.

Initially I thought we should just go with the basic reading of the text, which seems to indicate it was just the eleven.

However, the more and more I think about it, it is  after all the Great Commission and though the 11 are the core group, I don’t see a reason for Jesus to limit His commission to just them, since all believers are called to carry out this call.

John Macarthur adds, “The command here given to go and make disciples of all nations doesn't know any hierarchy, that's a command given to everybody, whether you're an apostle or not, it fits all those who love and follow Jesus Christ.

And certainly our Lord would have wanted to give this commission to the largest group possible and the largest group possible would be the 500 gathered in Galilee….”[1]

And this makes more sense when we see that when they showed up to the mountain, perhaps with all 500 or so people, some worshipped (taken literally means “to prostrate oneself [in homage]”)[2] but some /hesitated/.

Jesus has already met with the disciples twice, so why would some of them hesitate?

By the way, I know some of your translations say “doubted,” but the verb used (/edistasan/, “[some] doubted”) occurs in the NT only here and in 14:31 and does not denote disbelief but hesitation.”[3]

Why did they hesitate?

Look at Matt. 28:18, which tell us that, “Jesus came…” Literally, this can be translated, “He drew near, approaching…”[4]

So it seems like Jesus was at a distance and the disciples knew it was Him.

But there might have been some in the 500 who had not seen Him yet, so they hesitated initially, but I think as Jesus approached them, His presence and His Word would dispel all fear and doubt.

Notice that Jesus makes no mention or even rebukes some of their hesitations.

His presence and His Word is enough.

But I love the fact that Matthew leaves that in there, that some hesitated.

The resurrection did not transform all hesitating, fearful disciples into immediate spiritual giants.

Sometimes our worship is mixed with fear and doubt, but His nearness and His presence is what ultimately what we need, more than anything.

I hope this encourages you as we hope to be a Church carrying out the Great Commission.

It is the presence of Jesus Christ that fuels us.

Look down at Matt. 28:20, the latter part: “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew had begun his gospel with Jesus’ birth and Him being called “Emmanuel,” which meant, “God with us” (Matt.

1:23).

God /with /and not /against /us.

Then later in this Gospel, he had undertaken to be in their midst when only two or three disciples were gathered in his name (Matt.

18:20).

John Stott observes, “Now, as he repeats the promise of his presence, he attached it rather to their witness than to their worship.

It is not only when we /meet/ in his name, but when we /go/ in his name, that he promises to be with us.”[5]

And so here as he closes his gospel, he makes sure to end with Jesus’ promise, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Interestingly, “the English adverb “always”… [means] “the whole of every day” (Moule, /Idiom Book/, p. 34).

Not just the horizon is in view, but each day as we live it.”[6]

Note the emphatic introduction with “Behold” or “Remember,” or “Take note,” “Pay close attention,” “Look.”[7]

Also, his /I /is emphatic, “no less than I…as “conveying the feeling of certainty.”[8]

Jesus says, He Himself, will be with the church as they carry out His Great Commission, until God’s purpose on earth is completed.

Jesus will do this through the power of the Holy Spirit, which is Christ living in us.

Notice Jesus does not say, “I will be with you only when your church is growing and thriving, when people are getting saved left and right, when the ministries are great and everything is perfect.”

No, in our successes and failures, our fears and faith, our doubts and delights, He is with us.

Don’t even pray for Jesus Christ to be with you, because His promise is sure.

Pray that we will be able to see that He is with us!

I pray this encourages you Living Hope.

Boice encourages us when he says, “We have been given a very great task, but we do not need to attempt it in our own strength.

We have the Lord’s power at work within us as well as his promise to be with us to the very end as we obey the Great Commission.”[9]

It is His presence that fuels us.

It is Him always drawing near despite our hesitations that keep us going.

Every time you meet to live out the Great Commission in any form or fashion, Jesus is there.

Even if people you are discipling are not responding, He is still drawing near.

Even if you feel unappreciated and unrecognized, know that He draws near and His promise is sure as the sun rising today!

Even if you feel like your expectations for your ministry are not being met or if you feel inadequate in serving, remember that He draws near to you.

It is His promise of His presence that comforts us.

Remember that as you serve here in Living Hope.

Let’s keep serving faithfully, whole-heartedly, despite what we can see.