Matthew 28:16-20 | "Behold, I Am With You"
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· 3,204 viewsSunday, April 11, 2021. Matthew 28:16-20 | “Behold, I Am With You." In context, “The Great Commission” is the climax of the Easter story! It presents the fulfillment of the promises of Easter and propels the Church forward on mission to make disciples in submission to Jesus’ total authority. Positioned at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, we are reminded again that genuine faith is not based on what is seen, but acts upon what is heard in the form of obedience to God’s Word.
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The text before us today needs no introduction.
We’ve heard it many times over and will return many times again, to explore the profound depths of what we know as “The Great Commission.”
The Great Commission is where we as the Church of Jesus Christ, receive our marching orders. It is our mission from Jesus as His people, His Church in the world.
If someone were to ask us, “What are we supposed to do as Christ’s Church?” This Great Commission is our response.
If someone were to ask us, “Why do we support missionaries, send missionaries, and go on missions?” This Great Commission is our response.
If someone were to ask us, “Why do we make such a big deal about this word discipleship? What is discipleship and why does that matter?” This Great Commission is our response.
Some have even proposed changing the name of “Southern Baptists” to “Great Commission Baptists” — This text is that much of a fixture of our faith in action.
But did you know, that this Great Commission does not stand on its own?
As it is with every text of Holy Scripture, this Great Commission is not given to us without a context.
In context, not only is The Great Commission the summation and conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel, but it is also the climax of the Easter story! (Luz).
Now that’s an odd statement to make. What do I mean that “The Great Commission is the climax of the Easter story?”
Isn’t the resurrection event the climax of the Easter story? The angel...the stone rolled away...the empty tomb...? Isn’t that all there is to Easter? Easter was last Sunday, and Easter is now done.
But Easter is not done. Jesus’ resurrection means something for us as we sit here today.
“Because he lives
I can face tomorrow
Because he lives
All fear is gone
Because I know
He holds the future
And life is worth the living
Just because he lives.” (Gaithers)
This is Easter Sunday — Part 2! And if we learned anything at all from Jesus’ teaching in The Sermon on the Mount, He is not going to leave us without a call to action.
Faith is not merely hearing what has been spoken. Faith is doing based on what has been heard.
The Great Commission is the fulfillment of the promises of Easter.
If you are returning today as our guest from Easter Sunday, I want you to hear what moves us as Christ’s Church. Why we speak about a Membership Movement. What we are moving towards. Why we care so much about missions, evangelism and discipleship. I want you to see the basis for our faith in action.
And for all of us, no matter how young or old or capable we are, may we all be re-focused and re-energized to participate with Jesus in His work in the world, because Jesus is working, and Jesus is moving, because Jesus is alive!
May God give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to obey His Word.
Prepare to hear a reading from God’s Word, Matthew 28:16-20.
Be reminded that preceeding this Great Commission event, the angel of the Lord, seated upon the tomb stone, gave this word of instruction and promise to the women at the empty tomb —
7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”
And having departed quickly, the women then encounter and behold the Risen Lord on the way, who also gives them this word of instruction and promise —
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Twice it is promised that the disciples will see Jesus.
Matthew then interjects a short report of what happened to the guards who were watching over the sealed tomb, who fell as dead men at the sight of the angel, in verses 11-15.
They’ve lost Jesus! Or so they thought. Except Jesus was never lost. They were!
The guards are paid off by the religious elites, the chief priests and elders, to promulgate a lie that Jesus’ disciples stole his body at night while they were sleeping.
We see that from that very first Easter Sunday, people, even religious people, have tried to explain away the resurrection of Jesus, and the only means they have to do that is a bribe and a lie.
The enemy was so defeated at the tomb that he doesn’t want others to know it yet! The presence of lies shows the active opposition to the Gospel message.
And then Matthew changes the scene away from the angel, the women, chief priests and guards, now to the disciples. The closest followers of Jesus.
I. Reading of Scripture
I. Reading of Scripture
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This is God’s Word, Amen.
III. Exposition
III. Exposition
A. 28:16-17 | Introduction
A. 28:16-17 | Introduction
Matthew ends his gospel not with his own words, but with the words of the Risen Christ. But before Jesus speaks, Matthew sets the scene for us.
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
Notice the text does not generically say “the disciples went to Galilee” but more specifically says “the eleven disciples went to Galilee.”
Why the specifics? Why say “the eleven”?
Because these were the closest followers of Jesus and there used to be twelve, but one is no more.
The text highlights a glaring absence and reminds us as hearers of a wicked act of betrayal by Judas for thirty pieces of silver.
“The love of money is the root of all kinds of evils.” (1 Tim 6:10).
Jesus knows what it is like to be betrayed, even by one of those closest to him.
Jesus lost one of his disciples, who turned out not to be a disciple at all.
Discipleship is ultimately validated not in following, but in arriving.
Do you want to know if you are a true follower of Christ and not a fraud? You’ll know when you arrive. You’ll know when you reach the end of the way, whether it is life or destruction.
That is why so many walk the walk and talk the talk but they are deceived.
I grieve at the thought of losing someone from our church membership and fellowship. I grieve at the thought that someone would leave the Church.
But we are going to lose people, no matter what we do. We are not going to please everyone and that is not our aim.
The more we faithfully proclaim the truth of God in His Holy Word, and the more we act in faith, obeying what we hear, the harder it will be for those who are frauds to blend in. The harder it will be to hide sin.
The more light illuminates a space, the fewer places there are for shadows to be found to hide in. The light of the Gospel exposes the darkness for what it is.
Not everyone who assumes the title of “disciple” or “member” is following the Lord or moving with His Church.
We have people right now who are technically members of this Church who have abandoned this fellowship, who do not attend and they are able to do so, who do not give, who do not pray, and yet we go to meet Jesus as eleven and not twelve. We continue to move by faith.
It is better to be eleven who are faithful, than to be twelve with a betrayer.
17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
This is the reaction of the disciples when they saw Jesus.
They worshiped him. They prostrated themselves before him.
“But some doubted.” Some were uncertain.
Have you ever heard someone say: “I trust Jesus beyond a shadow of a doubt.”
Have you ever heard someone say: “To be saved, you must know for certain without any doubt that Jesus is Lord.”
I’m not so sure that is an honest expectation. I’m not so sure that is being honest with people. I think we are guilty of setting an unrealistic and unbiblical standard for people to come to Jesus.
I know what I’m saying may make you uncomfortable to hear. I’m not trying to be controversial. I’m trying to be biblical.
“When they saw Jesus, they worshiped him, but some doubted.”
You do not have to remove every ounce of doubt in order to worship Jesus.
Belief in Jesus is not attained when you have removed the presence of all doubt.
Doubt is a necessary part of faith, but where doubt would immobilize us, faith mobilizes us.
Faith is what propels us forward when we have doubts. We are not to let our doubts control us. We are to let the Word of God control us and compel us onward.
If we had no doubts, we would have no faith.
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Faith is what says — “I know there is a doubt here, but in spite of that doubt, I’m moving forward anyway with hope and conviction because what God has said.”
Faith is what says — “I know I can’t make sense of what I see, but I will move forward based on what I hear.”
Notice that the doubt was associated with seeing.
17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
We think when we will see we will never doubt. Some disciples saw, and they doubted.
That is why, if you or a family member or a friend is waiting for a miraculous visible sign from God before believing, then they won’t believe even if they see!
That is why Saul, a Pharisee of Pharisees, who did not believe in Jesus, was persecuting the Lord and the church, but on his way to Damascus was blinded by a light from heaven and heard the voice of the Lord. And for three days he was without sight. Perhaps to reflect and mediate upon on that he had heard in the Scriptures.
29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Believing is never based on sight. What do you do if you have doubts about Jesus? You come to Him with your doubts.
You don’t have to remove all doubts to come to Jesus. He will take care of those doubts in time.
This word “doubt” is used one other place in the New Testament, and it is in Matthew 14.
The disciples were out in a boat, and Jesus came walking by on the water.
They were scared by what they saw, thinking it was a ghost, until Jesus spoke and they heard his voice.
28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”
31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Peter’s doubt was a sign of little faith.
How do we overcome doubt? With more faith.
How do we have more faith? By hearing the words of Christ.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
What I am trying to say is this — to live for Christ will involve a certain measure of doubt, and conflict, but these are things that faith overcomes.
Even after Jesus was raised, some of the disciples doubted.
The resurrection did not remove all doubt.
But the word of Jesus — gave them the faith to overcome.
Look at —
B. 28:18-20 | Saying of Jesus
B. 28:18-20 | Saying of Jesus
28:18b | A Word of Authority
28:18b | A Word of Authority
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Jesus came and “spoke” to them — His Word.
Warren Wiersbe (MYK, 214) points out that the authority of Jesus is an important theme in the Gospel of Matthew, which tells us that there was authority in Jesus’ teaching (7:29).
29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Jesus exercised authority in healing.
8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.
9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.
...
13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
Jesus also had authority to forgive sins.
6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”
Jesus had authority over Satan, and delegated that authority to his disciples:
1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.
But here — at the conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel, the Resurrected Christ makes it abundantly clear that He has — not some, not partial, not temporary — but ALL authority!
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
There is nothing that Jesus does not have authority over.
What is your greatest fear?
What is your greatest insecurity?
What is your greatest doubt?
By the Word of God I proclaim to you that Jesus has authority over all of those things!
Meaning all of those things — those fears, insecurities, doubts, have to bow to Jesus and submit to Him.
So if we bow before Him, and prostrate ourselves before Him, and submit to Him, then we are at the same time submitting all of those fears, insecurities, doubts to Him as well.
Jesus came and said this to the disciples.
Jesus came to show us His authority.
And on the authority of His word, no more mention is made of their doubts.
The doubt was connected with seeing. But at His Word, the doubt fades in their commissioning.
If you know someone who is struggling with doubt — if YOU are struggling with doubt — I would guess that that person, or even you, have not been doing very much by way of obedience to the Lord. You are stationary.
The pandemic has created a mental health crisis and also a spiritual health crisis because it has kept many people away from church, away from the fellowship of believers, and it shows.
But the solution to that is to get moving. To “Go.”
On the authority of Jesus’ Word, he mobilizes his disciples on mission:
28:19-20a | A Commissioning
28:19-20a | A Commissioning
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The command, the active verb, the action Jesus wants of His followers is to “make disciples.” To cause someone to become a follower of Jesus too (LN).
To do with others the same thing that Jesus has done with the eleven.
If Jesus with His authority has done this work, then we have the authority of Jesus not to do whatever we want to do — but to do what He did and does — to make disciples.
Where are we to make disciples, Lord?
He says — “of all nations.”
See that word “all” again?
“ALL” authority. “All nations.”
We are not to make all nations like us. Rather, Jesus would have His name represented with variety, with diversity.
We are not to make followers of ourselves, or followers of our culture, or followers of our language, or followers of our way of life, or followers of our political persuasion or followers of our ideologies.
Although, I do wish people would view things the same way I do.
But that is not what Jesus commands. We are to make followers of Jesus.
Which means we must proclaim Jesus — and not ourselves, our culture, our language, our way of life, our political persuasion or our ideologies.
There is an ever present pressure on a pastor with a pulpit to speak about politics, world events, and the like.
I’ve realized that the people who are lost aren’t going to agree with my worldview.
I’m here to preach Christ. That is most important. Jesus will do whatever work of change is needed on viewpoints after He has moved someone from death into life.
Disciples make disciples. This command is not given to the world. It is given to the eleven disciples, who by extension, represent we who believe - the Church.
How then, are we, as disciples of Christ, to make disciples?
Here is the progression of how this disciple-making is supposed to work:
First, “Go.”
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Go — that word is not alone. It is “Go Therefore.” That word “therefore” means, that should we endeavor on this mission, we will have the authority of Jesus with us as we go.
We will not have authority of Jesus to do what Jesus is not doing.
“Go” — That’s a word that means “to move” (LN).
Fish don’t jump in a boat. We have to go to the fish.
Money doesn’t jump in a bank account. We have to work and earn it, or invest it.
Food doesn’t just appear on a table. It has to be harvested and prepared.
Disciples don’t make themselves.
We won’t add to our number by hoping people will walk in off the streets. We have to go to them.
And that means going places we may not want to go.
The people just like us would be — just like us. Following Jesus already. It is the people who are not like us, who do not know Jesus, and we are to go to them and with Christ’s authority make followers of Jesus out of them.
We have to move with a mission. We cannot stand still!
First “Go.”
Then Baptize.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Baptism is a sign of membership and participation in God’s covenant. It is a circumcision of the heart. It is It is a union with Christ — in his death, burial, and resurrection.
Notice the order — “baptize” comes before “teach.”
Well meaning Christians have sought to reverse this order. They will teach, and once a person is deemed old enough and knowledgeable enough and ready enough then they will allow baptism.
But “baptism” comes before “teach.”
Salvation is not based on your knowledge of Christ or the things of God. In fact, your knowledge of God is useless if you do not know Him.
You come to Jesus — he will teach you. Become a member of His body through baptism, and through the ministry of His Holy Spirit and the gifts of the saints you will be taught.
Do not hinder children. You do not have to be 18 years old to be baptized.
But baptism here is clearly a result of the Gospel message having gone forth, having been believed and received. Just because a person is baptized as an infant does not guarantee them entrance into the Kingdom of God no matter how much they are taught.
This is a baptism of believers, uniting with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, because of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Go, baptize, and teach.
What are we to teach?
Answer — What we have heard, from Jesus.
Again, we are not to teach our preferences, our persuasions, our worldview. We are to teach “what I have commanded you.”
We are to teach the words of Christ. We are to teach the commands of Christ. But not just commands for the sake of knowledge. The end is not doctrine. It is praxis (see Mounce, 278). Obedience.
Teach them to OBEY!
The Sermon on the Mount ended with a rebuke of hypocrisy. It is not those who profess in word only who enter God’s Kingdom. It is those who also DO what they HEAR.
So it is — that the Great Commission, in light of the Resurrection, and the complete authority of Jesus — compels us to “DO” too.
Makes disciples by going, baptizing and teaching to obey.
It is really that simple! But that doesn’t mean it is easy.
But Jesus gives us yet one more Easter promise. One more “behold” statement. One more “fact” (GCM).
28:20b | A Promise
28:20b | A Promise
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The promise of Christmas in Matthew 1:23 — is fulfilled in Easter in Matthew 28:20.
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
God is present with His people.
And that word “ALL’ makes yet one last appearance.
All authority, All nations, All that I have commanded you....
and “I am with you ALL the days...”
“I AM.”
That’s the Divine Name revealed to Moses for God’s ancient people.
Jesus is “I AM” — who is with us.
IV. Conclusion
IV. Conclusion
A. Gospel Proclamation
A. Gospel Proclamation
That is the Gospel message.
The sin that separated us from God’s presence is forgiven because of the cross of Christ.
The grave that separated us from God’s life is defeated because of Christ’s burial and resurrection from the dead.
And when in judgment, we are called to give an account of our lives — we will be asked by the LORD — “Who is this that stands before me?”
And for the disciple of Christ — firm to the end — a voice will call out that is not our own, but the voice of Christ, to say in our place — “I AM.”
For He will never, no never leave us. His presence is with us always — to the end of the age.