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We can turn to Matthew chapter 
28. We have, for our Lord's Supper services, been looking at the 
passion narrative of Jesus. That's obviously in chapters 
26 and 27, the Lord is raised from the dead in chapter 28. 
But I thought it would be good for us to finish what we started. 
Tonight, we'll look at the Great Commission in chapter 28 at verses 
16 to 20, but I wanna read beginning in verse one. Now after the Sabbath, 
as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene 
and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was 
a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, 
and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on 
it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as 
white as snow. And the guards shook for fear 
of him and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said 
to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus 
who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, 
as He said. Come see the place where the 
Lord lay, and go quickly and tell His disciples that He has 
risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee. 
There you will see Him. Behold, I have told you. So they 
went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and 
ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His 
disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, Rejoice! So they 
came and held Him by the feet and worshipped Him. Then Jesus 
said to them, Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go 
to Galilee, and there they will see Me. Now while they were going, 
behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to 
the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they 
had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they 
gave a large sum of money to the soldiers saying, tell them 
his disciples came at night and stole them away while we slept. 
And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and 
make you secure. So they took the money and did 
as they were instructed. And this saying is commonly reported 
among the Jews until this day. Then the eleven disciples went 
away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for 
them. When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, 
saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on 
earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, 
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that 
I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, 
even to the end of the age. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we thank You for Your Word, we thank You for this commission 
given by Christ to the Church, and it does dictate our responsibility 
in this world. So give us hearts to receive 
these things, give us grace to obey these things, and give us 
encouragement as we consider these things. What a blessed 
privilege it is for the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ to make 
His message known. the reality that He lived, that 
He died, that He was raised again, and that, for the salvation of 
sinners. We praise You for the blessed 
privilege to be able to announce these things, to be able to point 
sinners unto Him, and for us having been saved by that grace, 
through faith in our blessed Lord Jesus. Guide us now by Your 
Holy Spirit, forgive us for all of our sin, we pray, in His most 
blessed name. Amen. Well, remember last time 
we looked at the previous section where the Jews manipulated the 
story of the resurrection for their own wicked ends. So it's 
sort of an anti-Great Commission. They wanted to propagate an error. 
They wanted to propagate a lie. They wanted to cover up the truth 
of the resurrection so that persons would not come to the Lord Jesus 
Christ. In verses 11 to 15, the religious 
leaders use bribe money to commission the soldiers to spread lies. 
The risen Christ promises or uses the promise of his presence 
to commission his followers to spread the truth. The religious 
leader's message gains traction among the Jews. Notice in verse 
15, The message of Christ given to the church gains traction 
to all the nations of the earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples 
of all the nations. The religious leaders died and 
stood before God in judgment. The risen Christ is with his 
church always, even to the end of the age. Now, a recurring 
word in this commission is all. There's four alls in the Great 
Commission. It's about all authority, it's 
about all the nations, it has to do with all the things that 
Jesus commanded, and it comprehends all the days. until his return 
again in glory. So I want to look first at verses 
16 and 17, the meeting in Galilee, and then we'll look secondly 
at the commission given to the church in verses 18 to 20. Notice the arrival at Galilee 
according to verse 16. That's in the northern part of 
Israel. Remember you had the northern 
tribes in the Old Testament was identified as Israel. The southern 
tribes are identified as Judah. So Galilee is in the northern 
part of Israel, and that's where Jesus had arranged to meet with 
his disciples. If you go back to chapter 26, 
you'll notice that specifically at verse 32, he announces that 
he's gonna die. He announces that he'll be raised 
again. And then he says in verse 32, after I have been raised, 
I will go before you to Galilee. And then we see that emphasis 
again in chapter 28, the angel instructs the women to go to 
Galilee according to verse 7, go quickly and tell his disciples 
that he has risen from the dead and indeed he is going before 
you into Galilee, there you will see him, behold I have told you. 
And then again in verse 10, Notice the Lord Jesus meets them and 
he says to them, do not be afraid, go and tell my brethren to go 
to Galilee and there they will see me. Now this has a degree 
of significance when we consider the scope of the commission. 
Again, Jesus tells the church to go therefore and make disciples 
of all the nations. It's fitting he's in the northern 
part of Israel. It's fitting that he's in Galilee 
of the Gentiles. If you go back to Matthew chapter 
four, that is where he began his ministry. In Matthew 4 at 
verse 12 it says, When Jesus heard that John had been put 
in prison, he departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, he came 
and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions 
of Zebulun and Naphtali. That it might be fulfilled which 
was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, The land of Zebulun and 
the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, 
Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who sat in darkness 
have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region 
in shadow of death, light has dawned. From that time, Jesus 
began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is 
at hand. So it's most fitting in terms of a commission that 
comprehends or includes rather not just Israel, but the nations 
of the earth. Galilee is a very fitting place 
for Jesus to meet with these men and give them their marching 
orders. Now notice when the disciples 
come. According to verse 17, it says, when they saw him, they 
worshiped him, but some doubted. Now the worship is obvious. Gil says, with divine adoration 
as the eternal son of God, for so he was now declared to be 
by his resurrection from the dead, according to Romans 1.4. 
But this doubting, there's three ways we could understand this. 
Some of the 11 doubted, all of the 11 doubted, or some others 
than the 11 doubted. But it is still a curious statement. 
When we look at the particular word that is used, it's also 
translated as hesitate. And there might've been a hesitation 
on the part of some of the 11. And I think it's pretty simple 
to understand why. In the first place, they may 
not have recognized him. Notice in verse 18, it says, 
and Jesus came and spoke to them. So he comes and approaches them 
so that he's closer. You see a similar situation in 
John 21. Jesus is on the seashore. The 
disciples are out in the boat. They don't know that it's Jesus. 
I mean, they are limited in terms of their vision and capacity 
as well. Also, it could have just been 
that they didn't know how to react. They didn't know how to 
respond. Brethren, the hesitation might 
be owing simply to the fact that this man, who they had spent 
three years with, had been crucified, had been murdered, and now had 
been raised from the dead. That would evoke a degree of 
hesitation out of a lot of people. in Matthew chapter 17 when Christ 
is transfigured before the disciples. Really, they don't know how to 
react to that. That's when Peter says, it's 
good that we're here, Lord. Should I make booths for each 
of you? There's this kind of an idea where they just don't 
know. But I think the third observation is probably more appropriate. 
They forsook him and fled. Look at chapter 26, specifically 
at verse 56. Christ had prophesied, Christ 
had declared, Christ had testified that this was in fact going to 
happen. And in chapter 26 at verse 56, 
all this was done, this is the words of Jesus, that the scriptures 
of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook 
him and fled. So they're hesitant, they're 
perhaps doubtful. They had fled from him at his 
time of greatest needs, humanly speaking. And now they see him, 
so there's this kind of a consternation in their heart. But Matthew's 
inclusion of this has great apologetic value. If you and I were going 
to compose a faith, if you and I were going to write a narrative 
that was completely made up, would we include unsavory details 
like his disciples were doubtful in his presence? No, we'd excise 
that. We'd keep that out. If we wrote 
1 and 2 Samuel, we probably would not have included that David 
took Bathsheba and then he murdered Uriah the Hittite in order to 
cover up his adultery. The gospel and the biblical authors 
are not covering things up. They're not shaping their narrative. 
They're not tailoring their story to fit the hero narrative. Rather, 
they are telling us the truth and that some of these disciples, 
after the resurrection of Jesus, nevertheless had either a or 
a hesitant spirit among them. But regardless, we come to the 
text now, the commission given to them. Notice, there are three 
things in the Great Commission that deserve our attention. First, 
the authority behind the commission, that's verse 18. The specific 
focus of the commission, that's verses 19 and 20a. And then thirdly, 
the assurance provided for the commission. But let's look first 
at the authority behind the commission. Is it successful megachurches? 
Is it successful disciples? Is it wonderful preachers? Is 
it polished men? No, the authority for the Great 
Commission lies in our Lord Jesus Christ. That's the statement 
in verse 18. Notice, he asserts his omnipotence 
here, and then he asserts his omnipresence in verse 20. It 
is that which gives impetus to the church to take seriously 
the responsibility to go, therefore, and to make disciples of all 
the nations. Notice the statement. He says, 
all authority has been given to me in heaven and earth. Everything 
or every ounce of authority consisting of heaven, consisting of earth, 
is in our Lord Jesus Christ. It includes heaven, it includes 
earth, and this statement alone is reminiscent of many Old Testament 
texts. Remember the Syrians, they had 
an idea that the Israelites would be bested in the valley. They 
battled with them in the hills and they lost. And the Syrians 
concluded, well, their gods are the gods of the hills. If we 
meet them on the valley floor, then we'll be able to beat them 
in battle. Well, what happened? They learned 
that Yahweh of Israel was the God of heaven and earth. He wasn't 
confined to the hills. He wasn't confined to the valleys. 
He's not confined to the seacoast. He is rather the God of absolute 
unrivaled authority in both heaven and on earth. and Christ is given 
this authority by the Father. Secondly, the authority of Christ 
is not a passive waiting in heaven to judge on that final day. Christ's authority in heaven 
is active. Christ's authority in heaven 
is powerful. Turn over to the book of Acts. 
Acts chapter 1, verse 1. Remember Acts, the historical 
context, is after the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 
chapter one will record his ascension. That means his going up into 
heaven. So after he finishes the work 
that the father had given him, life, death, resurrection, securing 
the salvation of his people by his own life, death and resurrection, 
Jesus ascends on high. He leads captivity captive and 
he gives gifts to men. He's stationed at the right hand 
of the father and there he rules and reigns over all things for 
the church. Well, Luke tells us that in chapter 
1, verses 1 and 2. Notice, the former account I 
made. So Luke writes Luke the gospel, 
and then Luke writes the book of Acts. In the early church, 
they were bound together, and they were circulated as one particular 
book in two volumes. So he says, the former account 
I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus noticed, began both 
to do and teach. He began it in the gospel narrative 
according to Luke, but he continues to do and teach from the right 
hand of the Father in heaven. So when Jesus makes this declaration 
in verse 18 of chapter 28, all authority has been given to me 
in heaven and on earth, he means it. He has that. And again, it's 
not passive waiting to exercise that authority, but he exercises 
it now. As well, the authority of Christ 
is the demonstration of His triumph over His enemies. He did all 
that the Father had given Him to do. He vanquished death. He dealt with our sin. He conquers 
the devil. All that the Father had given 
Him, He had done. And so this exaltation to the 
right hand of the Father demonstrates His triumph and victory in that 
particular mission. As well, the authority of Christ 
here is not due to His being the second person of the Trinity. 
We know that He is, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was 
with God, and the Word was God. This is rather applicable to 
Jesus according to His humanity, specifically as mediator, as 
prophet, priest, and king. He has been given this authority 
in heaven, and on earth. Our confession speaks to this 
in chapter 8. It says, which office, mediator, 
and surety, he took not upon himself, but was thereunto called 
by his Father, who also put all power and judgment in his hand, 
and gave him commandment to execute the same. As well, this particular 
statement of our Lord Jesus reflects Daniel 7, 13, and 14. Remember, 
that Son of Man comes to the Ancient of Days. When He comes 
to the Ancient of Days, the Ancient of Days gives Him a kingdom, 
gives Him authority, gives Him power, gives Him rule, gives 
Him what He says that He has in this particular section. And 
then finally, the authority of Christ is the necessary foundation 
for the apostles and the subsequent ministry of the Church. If we 
didn't have this authority, if we were told to go out and make 
disciples, but Christ was not involved, it would be a fool's 
errand. It would be in vain. But we have 
great and confident hope and expectation that because Christ 
is at the right hand, because Christ has all authority in heaven 
and on earth, when he bids the church to go, and she goes, He 
is there with her, engaged in that particular activity. By 
the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit, Christ sends 
forth that Spirit to aid the church in disciple-making and 
church planting. John Calvin said, for no ordinary 
authority would here have been enough. but sovereign and truly 
divine government ought to be possessed by Him who commands 
them to promise eternal life in His name, to reduce the whole 
world under His sway, and to publish a doctrine which subdues 
all pride and lays prostrate the whole of the human race. 
He's right, brethren. If we don't have the authority 
of Christ behind us, then we are, as I said, engaged in a 
fool's errand. It's always going to be vain. 
I often encourage, I often almost beg, everybody here to pray on 
Sunday morning before you come to church. Pray on Sunday afternoon 
before you come to church. What are we praying for? God, 
rend the heavens and come down. Remember the prophet Isaiah used 
that language in Isaiah 64, what? He says, rend the heavens and 
come down. We need the presence and the 
power of the Holy Spirit. If sinners are in here, we want 
them saved. And the way to salvation is not 
persuasion from the pulpit, it is proclamation of the truth 
under the power of the Holy Spirit to bring that conviction of sin 
and to grant those graces of faith and repentance. We need 
the Spirit in the task of disciple-making. But the commission is involved 
not just with disciple-making, it's tasked with disciple-instructing, 
and we need the Spirit for that as well. Growing in the grace 
and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ isn't something 
that happens by osmosis. It doesn't just happen by time. 
I notice that sometimes new believers get a bit discouraged when they 
don't know everything that Paul knows. Well, there's a reason 
for that. Think of it this way. None of 
us will ever know what Paul knew. obviously, but when you're a 
brand new Christian, or a baby Christian, or a new Christian, 
you're not gonna know everything. You have to grow in the grace 
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To that 
end, the preaching ministry of the church needs the Holy Spirit. We need the authoritative Christ 
to send forth the Spirit of God so that he takes that Word of 
God and makes it real in our hearts and in our minds. He seals 
it to us and roots it in us so that we are able, by grace, to 
comply. So the authority behind the commission 
is our blessed Savior. All authority has been given 
to me in heaven and on earth. Now notice the specific focus 
of the commission in verses 19 to 28. Before we look at the 
commanded activities, notice the delegation. Verse 19, go 
therefore. Notice, the declaration of Christ's 
authority isn't simply for informational purposes. Oh, that's nice, Lord, 
that you have all authority in heaven and on earth. Yeah, it's 
nice, it's instructive, it's biblical, it does resonate in 
our hearts, but notice how Jesus uses it. Go, therefore, based 
on the reality that he has absolute comprehensive authority, based 
on the reality that he's stationed at the right hand of the Father, 
based on the reality that he has lived, that he has died, 
that he's been raised again, and now presently at the right 
hand of the Father, that means responsibility for the church. Go therefore. We're not to be 
stagnant. We're not simply to sit around. 
We're not simply to just grow moss like an old roof. We are 
rather to do what our blessed savior commands. The Lord Jesus 
declares his absolute authority and universal sovereignty. And 
based on that reality, he commissions his church to go out and carry 
out his commands. The therefore in verse 19 highlights 
the connection. Matthew Poole says, having declared 
his power, he delegated it. So we are similarly like Eve. Remember God gave Adam a particular 
mandate. He was to subdue the earth. He 
was to conquer the earth. He was to extend the garden sanctuary 
to encompass the entirety of the earth. and Eve was his helpmate. I think at times persons see 
the church as absolutely, positively, first-rate responsible for carrying 
out the Great Commission. Brethren, we could never do that. We could never, ever engage in 
what Christ has commanded on our own. We need his authority, 
we need his presence, but as well, he is the one that is accomplishing 
it. We are like Eve to our Adam, 
assisting him in the task, assisting him in the particular activities. We're not ultimately responsible. I think there's a degree of comfort 
there. If we were ultimately responsible, it'd be tough to 
get out of bed because we aren't always good at it. We don't always 
function in a faithful capacity. But Christ is ultimately responsible 
for the Great Commission. And again, that breeds great 
encouragement when you understand that He's fitted for it, not 
us. He has the wherewithal to carry 
it out, not us. Now notice, there are four commanded 
activities in the section. Now, oftentimes we get a little 
tripped up on the language here. Notice, "...go therefore and 
make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching 
them to observe all things that I have commanded you." So there's 
one command proper, one actual verb that's in the imperative, 
and that is make disciples. And that command is surrounded 
by what's called participles. I'm speaking to the kids now, 
because they know what participles are, and parts of speech more 
so than probably their parents do. So it's got a verb that's 
in the imparitable mood, and that means to do something. It's 
a command, and as I said, it's surrounded by these these participles, 
but each of these participles have imperatival force. In other 
words, you can understand them as commands. So there are four 
things commanded by our Lord Jesus. The first is that they 
must go. Notice in verse 19, go therefore. 
Now this translation renders it as a command. Some see it 
as going. It's an assumption that the church 
is going to be engaged in going. And while she's going, she should 
do what she's supposed to do. I don't take it that way. Jesus 
tells the church to go. Jesus tells the church to do. Jesus tells the church to be 
concerned about this particular task. Jesus tells the church 
that this is something you must think about. This is something 
you must consider. This is something you must be 
concerned about, namely the salvation of other people. It is very typical 
for us to get saved, to enjoy our salvation, and to care little 
about anything else. Brethren, Jesus wants you to 
care. Jesus wants you to understand 
that this is something that the church is engaged in. Now, of 
course, Jesus is speaking to his disciples, the apostles, 
the eleven, specifically here because Judas is gone, but this 
extends to the church as church. It extends to the people of God, 
and this whole idea is that we must go. Now, if you're not able 
to go for various reasons, then pray for those who are going. 
If you're not able to go, then pray, and if you can do other 
things, do those things as well. But again, the emphasis lies 
upon the church. It doesn't mean every single 
human being within the context of the church must go to South 
Sudan and pass out radios. That's not the emphasis in the 
text. Jesus is not saying stop your day job, give up everything, 
and just go. No. You can be faithful in your 
day job, faithful in your life, faithful in your family, faithful 
in your society, but have this mindset that there are lost and 
dying sinners all around you, and you should take notice of 
them. You should be concerned about them, and you should pray 
for salvation. And as you have opportunity, 
and I know this is sometimes a challenge for us, but tell 
sinners about the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says that to the 
Philippians, we're to shine as lights in a crooked and perverse 
generation, holding forth the word of truth. I realize not 
everybody is going to be equipped to hold forth that word of truth 
in the same way, say, as a C.H. Spurgeon. But brethren, if somebody 
asks you, and your testimony is as simple as that man in John 
chapter 9. Remember that man who was born 
blind and Jesus healed him. And then the synagogue officials 
come and they interrogate him. Imagine that you've been healed 
by Jesus of your blindness. And instead of throwing a feast, 
instead of throwing a party, instead of celebrating, these 
goons from the synagogue come and they put you under the spotlight 
with a rubber hose. Tell us who did this. Tell us 
what you're all about. Basically, the man's testimony 
was, I don't know what you all are talking about. I'm paraphrasing 
here, but it's not much different than how I'm paraphrasing it. 
But this much I know, I was born blind, but now I can see." If 
that's all that you are able to say and give glory to God 
Most High, you have done the going part well. It is a most 
blessed thing to be able to testify concerning what our Lord God 
Most High has done on our behalf. So the church must go. Notice, 
secondly, and again, the proper command is found in verse 19. 
Go, therefore, and make disciples. Make disciples. John Bratis, 
in his commentary on Matthew, says to disciple a person is 
to bring him into the relation of pupil to teacher. taking his 
yoke of authoritative instruction, accepting what he says as true 
because he says it, and submitting to his requirements as right 
because he makes them. Turn back to Matthew 11. Broadus 
invokes that section in terms of his definition here. Look 
at Matthew chapter 11, verse 28. Now the burden there and 
the heavy laden-ness isn't physical weariness. He's not talking to a bunch of 
guys that have worked 16 hour shifts and they're sweaty and 
they're dirty and they simply need a good meal. Hey, come to 
me and I will give you rest. No, the burden there, the heavy 
ladenness, probably what the Pharisees had tried to put on 
them, but as well their own sin. their own waywardness. The fact 
is that the way of the transgressor, according to Solomon, is hard. It produces a hard life. Sinning 
and rebelling and violating God's law never brings peace and joy 
and happiness. And so Christ addresses them 
at that level. It's kind of like David in Psalm 
130, out of the depths "'I have cried to thee, O Lord. "'O Lord, 
hear my voice.'" Again, it's not because he's tired from work. 
He's a king, he's a monarch. No doubt that's a difficult task, 
but it's what he says in verses three and four that indicate 
what that sorrow is. He says, "'If thou, Lord, shouldst 
mark iniquities, "'O Lord, who could stand?' That's what provoked 
the sorrow of heart for King David. But of course he's able 
to go on, but there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be 
feared. And that's what we find here. 
Jesus says, come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, 
and I will give you rest. Notice that's a promise from 
the Savior. He doesn't say, I will cast you out. I will make you 
really work for it. I will make you just, you know, 
rub your knuckles to the bone to try to work for this rest. No, he says, come to me, all 
you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And 
then notice in verse 29, take my yoke upon you and learn from 
me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest 
for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 
So back to 28, 19. Go, therefore, and make disciples. How do churches, 
how do preachers make disciples? Well, it's not through coercion, 
because our churches would be full, right? We'd get Cam and 
some of, you know, Stretch and some of the big fellas, and we'd 
coerce the numbers. Our numbers would go right up. 
I mean, instead of a car wash with signs out there, we just 
have big guys force people into the church. That's not how the 
church makes disciples. Brethren, we're not Muslims. 
We don't see for people into the kingdom. We don't, you know, 
lop heads off for Jesus to include people in the kingdom of God. 
No, the way and the means by which the church makes disciples 
is through the proclamation of the gospel. It's through the 
preaching of the truth of Christ and Him crucified. summarized 
in Paul's statement in Romans 4.25. Jesus Christ was delivered 
up because of our offenses. He was raised for our justification. Oftentimes we sing of the blood 
of Jesus Christ. I can imagine that might shock 
some delicate sensitivities out there. Oh, those Christians are 
consumed with the blood of Jesus Christ. You need to understand 
what we're talking about. It is through the death of Christ, 
which that blood means, the means by which sinners have forgiveness. 
The reality is, is that we have sinned against God. We have transgressed 
His law. The reality is, is that we deserve 
His punishment. We deserve His wrath. We deserve 
His fury. We deserve a life, an eternal 
life, or eternal death in hell forever. But Christ went to that 
cross, and He went as a substitute. He didn't go simply as an example. 
Oh, this is the example of how you ought to love one another. 
No, He went as a substitute in my place. He stood, sealed my 
pardon with His blood. Hallelujah, what a Savior. We 
sing of, we pray concerning that blood of Jesus because it's in 
that we have redemption, we have forgiveness, we have remission 
for our sins. The Old Testament pointed forward 
to this. Why in the Old Testament? Did 
they build a tabernacle? Why did they then build a temple? Because God was going to meet 
with them in that facility. God was going to dwell in the 
midst of his people. But they learned early on, we 
can't just wander into the presence of God because he'll kill us. Remember Nadab and Abihu tried 
to just wander in to the presence of God? How'd that work out for 
them? God killed them, and God said, 
I must be regarded as holy. The purpose of the sacrificial 
system was to cleanse the sinner such that he could meet with 
God Most High, such that he could enter into the presence of God. 
And so this idea of blood in the Old Testament typifies and 
prefigures the coming of the Lord Jesus, such that in John 
1, 29, when John the Baptist sees Jesus, he says, behold, 
the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We need 
that blood of the Lamb to wash us from our sin. But with reference 
to Jesus, that's not all you get. It's most glorious. We not 
only need to be forgiven of our sin, but we also need a righteousness. What if we are forgiven of our 
sin, but now it's up to us to fix ourselves and to make ourselves 
righteous and commendable to God? No, Christ and His life. When Christ says, I always do 
the will of my Father who sent me. When Christ says, it is my 
meat to do the will of Him who sent me. He is emphasizing this 
reality of what we call the active obedience of Jesus. We need not 
only His blood to cleanse us from our sin, but we need His 
righteousness to clothe us, or His life to clothe us with His 
righteousness. So that when sinners, by grace, 
believe the gospel, that happens. They are justified freely by 
His grace, as Paul says in Romans 3.23. And that justification 
includes both the forgiveness of sins and the imputation of 
righteousness. That means God gives us the righteousness 
of Jesus Christ, and it's received by faith alone. So the church 
makes disciples by preaching that message. The church makes 
disciples not by her stories, not by her experiences, not by 
her opinions, not by her, you know, whatever, therapy or deism. She makes disciples through the 
proclamation of Christ and Him crucified. Read the book of Acts. See where the emphasis falls. 
Do the apostles ever gather with a group of people and say, you 
know, I just want to tell you a few stories and be a bit chatty 
with you and make you go on your way happy and well fed? No, they 
preach Christ and Him crucified. Repent and let every one of you 
be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. 
Acts 2.38. You see it in Acts 3. You see 
it in Acts 16. Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. You see, 
the church makes disciples not by doing non-disciple making 
stuff, but she makes disciples by obeying her sovereign and 
engaging in what he commands. preach the gospel for the salvation 
of sinners. And before we leave this hat, 
notice the scope. Go therefore make disciples of 
all the nations. Again, it's not just Israel. 
That commission is given to the disciples in Matthew chapter 
10. They're supposed to go to Israel. But in accordance with 
the prophets, in accordance with the Patriarchs, in accordance 
with the Psalter, we see that God's object with reference to 
salvation was never only and alone the Jews. It included the 
Gentiles. I will give him as a light unto 
the Gentiles. That's from Isaiah 42 and again 
in chapter 49. It's too small a thing for Messiah 
to come simply for the lost tribes of Jacob. I will give you as 
a light unto the Gentiles. So all nations are the object 
of the Great Commission. We're to go, therefore, and to 
make disciples of them. Notice thirdly, then he goes 
on to say, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of 
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The subjects of baptism are the 
disciples that are made out of the nations. In other words, 
we don't just indiscriminately go to the nations and take a 
thing of water and start sprinkling them. I think the papists did 
that at certain junctures in history. That's not the emphasis 
of the text. The text is obvious. Those ones 
you preach the gospel to, those ones who believe the gospel, 
those ones who by grace repent from their sins, those ones are 
to be baptized. And notice the particular order 
that is referred to many, many times in the book of Acts. It 
is belief and then baptism. It is belief and then baptism. 
It is being made a disciple and then being baptized. Not baptized 
or sprinkled as a baby, in the hopes that someday you become 
a disciple. It gets the great commission 
exactly opposite. If it's just baptized them in 
order to make them disciples, then the pedos are right. The 
papists are right. Sprinkling water indiscriminately 
on everybody is right, but that's not the order. Go, therefore, 
and make disciples through the preaching of the cross, and when 
those disciples come forward by grace, having believed in 
the Lord Christ, then you baptize them. And notice the Trinitarian 
reference with God. Baptize them in the name, singular, 
And then there are the persons plural. Baptize them in the name 
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. So our 
confession of faith in chapter two, at paragraph three, isn't 
making stuff up. It's not spitballing. It's not 
just saying, well, this is sort of the thought that we'd like 
to present to you in terms of Trinity. No, in this infinite 
and divine being, there are three subsistences or persons. So baptize 
them in the name singular, of the Father and of the Son and 
of the Holy Spirit. Who is God? Who is the living 
and true God? He is the Father, Son, and Holy 
Spirit. The Father unbegotten, the Son 
begotten by the Father, and the Spirit proceeding from the Father 
and the Son. The Lord Jesus tells them to 
baptize in that name. Turretin makes the observation, 
thus he who does not acknowledge and believe the Trinity has not 
the true God, but has erected for himself an idol in the place 
of God. That's a pretty hardcore statement. Turretin would be chased out 
of most churches, most places as well today, but he's absolutely 
right, brethren. The one true and living God is 
revealed in Scripture as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One divine 
essence, three persons, just like chapter 2, paragraph 3 gets 
at in our confession of faith. And then notice the fourth aspect 
in the commission. Verse 20, teaching them to observe 
all things that I have commanded you. I think it was two sessions 
ago, it wasn't yesterday, it was the one prior, we talked 
about a particular fellow that preached in his church and said, 
if you're saved and you want to grow in your understanding 
of Christian doctrine, leave. Just go. Get out. That's not 
what we're about. All we do is get people saved. 
Now, he didn't stay faithful to that. He got really whacked 
out. He teaches, all right, health, wealth, prosperity, and a whole 
host of odd things and sundry weirdnesses. But back in 2009, 
that was his counsel. That's what he said. If you are 
saved as a, you're a believer now, and you want to grow in 
your understanding of Christian doctrine, this isn't the church 
for you. You need to go find another. Could you imagine a 
minister of the gospel telling people that? Could you imagine 
somebody actually saying to a group of people, you're not going to 
be helped here. We're not going to teach you 
anything. We're not going to learn you. 
There's not going to be the passing on of any information. See, that 
fellow is representative, though, of other schools of thought that 
are similar in nature. Oh, we just exist for the disciple-making. Well, disciple-making includes 
the disciple-teaching as well. There's two legs in the Great 
Commission. You make the disciples by preaching 
to them the doctrine of Christ and Him crucified. But you teach 
them to observe all things that Christ has commanded. Christ 
has commanded husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved 
the church and gave himself for her. Christ teaches women to 
submit themselves to their own husbands as unto the Lord. Christ 
tells parents to not provoke their children, but bring them 
up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Christ teaches children 
to obey their parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor 
your father and your mother, for this is the first commandment 
with promise. You see, we need to see them saved by grace, believing 
the truth of Christ and Him crucified, but then what? Do we just allow 
them to flounder? Do we just allow them to stagnate? No, the church needs to be equipped 
to teach people all things that Christ has commanded. And not 
just in some heady way, not just a passing on of information, 
but they need to actually, get this, observe it. They actually 
need to obey what the master says. I know it's strange, but 
here we are. In today's world, this seems 
like a revolutionary concept. And yet, within the context of 
the Church of Christ, she's been doing this for 20 centuries now, 
and doing it pretty effectively and successfully. So the Church 
is about disciple-making and disciple-training. The Church 
is about justification by faith alone, but the Church is also 
about the Christian's role to the civil state. The Church is 
about the doctrine of the cross, to be sure, but the Church is 
about the Eighth Commandment. The church is about the entirety 
of God's word and she must be about preaching the whole counsel 
of God so that Christ's disciples will be obedient to what he has 
commanded. It's pretty obvious, pretty intuitive, 
pretty apparent that this is the emphasis in the commission. Now notice in terms of our last 
observation, verse 20, the assurance provided for the commission. 
Notice verse 20, teaching them to observe all things that I 
have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the 
end of the age. Go back to chapter one. We often 
think of John's Gospel, and I hope we're thinking it even more as 
we're working through John's Gospel, as the portrayal of the 
Divine Son. John's Gospel begins with a testimony 
concerning the second person of the Trinity. In the beginning 
was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And 
then John's gospel ends with Thomas's announcement or declaration 
concerning Jesus, my Lord and my God. Now, every step in between, 
we are learning that Jesus is in fact the divine son. He is 
the eternally begotten son of the father. He is son not by 
creation, not by adoption, but rather by nature. So John takes 
pains to present to us the divine Messiah. But so does Matthew. Look at what Matthew does in 
chapter 1, in the birth narrative of our Lord. Look specifically 
at verse 21. She will bring forth a son, you 
shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from 
their sins. So this was done that it might 
be fulfilled, which was spoken by the Lord through the prophets, 
saying, Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, 
and they shall call his name Immanuel, which is translated, 
God with us. Now turn to Matthew chapter 18. 
Matthew chapter 18, a promise concerning the presence of Christ 
when the church takes seriously her responsibility to engage 
in discipline. Now I know that we typically 
lift this verse out of its context and we apply it to our living 
room. I'm not suggesting it's not applicable to our living 
room. But I am suggesting the primary emphasis and application 
of the verse is relative to the church exercising discipline. Notice in chapter 18, after going 
through the process, beginning in verse 15, if your brother 
sins, go to him. If he doesn't hear you, take 
two or three witnesses. If he doesn't hear them, then 
you tell it to the church. If he doesn't listen to the church, 
then you treat him as a tax collector and as a heathen. Now notice 
in verse 18, Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on 
earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth will 
be loosed in heaven. Again, I say to you that if two 
of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will 
be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three 
are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them. 
Notice that Jesus is in his earthly ministry, they're looking at 
a physical man, and he promises that when the church does what 
she's supposed to do in the exercise of discipline, then Jesus will 
be there in the midst of them. That is something that is true 
only of God. And then in Matthew 28, the same 
emphasis. He says, and lo, I am with you always, even to the 
end of the age. So this provides the encouragement. 
He has all authority, which we describe as omnipotence, but 
he has presence among us always at all times. We call that omnipresence. In fact, one man said it this 
way, the great commission is thus framed by the omnipotence 
and omnipresence of Christ. So we'll never walk alone. That's 
the motto of Liverpool, England. When the Proctors were here, 
he gave me a beanie or a toque and it says, you'll never walk 
alone. That's the motto of Liverpool. At their Liverpool football games, 
you've got 90,000 people in the stands singing the song, you'll 
never walk alone. Now, it can be kind of cheesy 
at a football game and that sort of thing, but the ethics or the 
sentiment is true. As Christ's people generally, 
we never walk alone. God has promised to never leave 
us nor forsake us. But we have the added specific 
encouragement that when the church obeys her master, does what he 
calls us to do, we're not doing it in our own strength. We're 
not doing it with reference to our own capabilities or resources. 
We're doing it according to his authority and power, and we're 
doing it with his presence among us. It is most heart-cheering 
to understand what Christ says in the commission in terms of 
our responsibility to be sure, but He surrounds that responsibility 
with His power and His presence such that when we engage in these 
things, we do so with joy, we do so with happiness, we do so 
with a sense of privilege, not the privilege that we hear about 
out there. But God, in His grace, has saved us. God, in His grace, 
has called us. God, in His grace, has equipped 
us to serve Him in His name. And Christ's presence and Christ's 
power are those boons assisting us along the way. Well, in conclusion, 
as I mentioned, hopefully you see, first of all, the four alls. 
The commission is backed by all authority, Christ's. The commission 
is directed to all the nations. The commission is tasked in presenting 
all the things that Jesus commanded, and the commission is executed 
in dependence upon the ever-present Christ all the days. Notice, 
it's not just for the first part, for the first, you know, 200 
years I'll be with you. I am with you always, even to 
the end of the age. So whatever may afflict us, whatever 
may trouble us, whatever may harm us, whatever life may throw 
at us, and brethren, I think there's every reason to believe 
there's gonna be some curve balls down the road. I for one wonder 
if in a few more months we're not gonna wish for $2 a liter 
gasoline. These persons are not the brightest 
bulbs in the chandelier and they certainly seem to have some nefarious 
ends relative to our place as citizens in this body politic. 
But whatever may come, whatever challenges we may face, it doesn't 
change the commission. Christ has all authority and 
Christ is always present with His people. If that doesn't encourage 
us, we need to repent. If that doesn't encourage us, 
we need to get a fresh glimpse of who Jesus is and what He promises 
vis-a-vis His place in the commission. Secondly, the Great Commission 
directs the mission of the church. Brethren, notice what Jesus does 
not say here. Go, therefore, and have the seeker-sensitive 
services that please everybody. Go after the goats, not through 
preaching justification by faith, but by entertaining them, by 
coddling them, by affirming them in their perversion. Don't ever 
say anything to offend them. Don't ever say anything to hurt 
them. Be woke, be woke conscious, and just advance the love of 
God. No, the church has a particular calling in this world, and it's 
not to become the world, it's to stay the church and be faithful 
to her commission. The mission of the church is 
rightly summarized in the Reformed Marks of the Church, Belgic Confession 
29. The true church can be recognized 
if it has the following marks. The church engages in the pure 
preaching of the gospel, it makes use of the pure administration 
of the sacraments as Christ instituted them, It practices church discipline 
for correcting faults. Today, you know what that would 
get you? That's it. I've shared with you before, 
people call, they don't so much anymore. The only calls I get 
in the office phone are, you know, telemarketers, but it used 
to be. So, you know, what do you offer 
as a church? Well, we have two services on Sunday and a Wednesday 
night Bible study. That's it? What else do you want? Well, I'd like a puppet show. 
I'd like, you know, movie night. I'd like to eat popcorn with 
the brethren. I wanna have, you know, rodeo during the summer. 
There's churches out there that cater to that. Brethren, that 
is to depart from our calling and our mission. Our calling 
and our mission is narrowly defined by Jesus. Our calling and mission 
is not up to us. Our calling and our mission is 
to obey the risen Savior when it comes to His emphases in the 
commission. Secondly, the mission of the 
church is limited. She must do what she's supposed 
to do. The mission of Christians as 
Christians is broader. Sometimes Christians, well-meaning 
Christians will come and say, well, can we do this and can 
we do that? Well, if we do this and we do 
that, then we're not gonna be preaching the word and ministering 
the sacraments and exercising discipline the way that we're 
supposed to. Why don't you go do that? That's a perfectly appropriate 
thing for an individual believer to do. Do you think they always 
go, all right, yay? A lot of times it's, we want 
you to do this. Well, if we do everything other 
than what we're commanded to do, then we've betrayed our calling. There are things that we can 
do, I include myself in that, Christians as Christians have 
a broader frame of reference for activities to engage in than 
church as church. If we expect the church to do 
everything, she'll do nothing well. If we expect the church 
to do preaching, sacraments, and discipline, and we expect, 
not perfection, but the pursuit of those things, then she should 
hopefully get that right. Thirdly, the mission of the church 
must be properly balanced, evangelism and teaching. See, for the guy 
that I mentioned earlier, if you're here at this church and 
you're saved and you want doctrine, get out. That's imbalance. They should be evangelized and 
won to the Savior by the grace of God, and the power of the 
Spirit, and instructed. But there are some Reformed communities, 
and perhaps evangelical communities, which is an odd sort of a way 
to frame yourself as an evangelical church with no evangel, where 
there's this emphasis on teaching, but there's no gospel. Brethren, 
I think I've said from day one, the people that have been here 
since day one, I'm gonna always preach the gospel. I think believers 
always need the gospel. See, there's this bifurcation, 
this dichotomy, this, well, he's already saved. Why would you 
preach the gospel to him? Because if he's already saved, 
that gospel is gonna warm his heart. That gospel is gonna encourage 
him. That gospel is gonna strengthen 
him. And the gospel properly preached is teaching the Bible. So this idea that evangelism 
is it and no teaching, not good, that's imbalanced. But this idea 
that we're only going to teach you if you want to, you know, 
hear the gospel presentation, you're going to have to go to 
that other guy's church. No, you need to make sure that you're 
preaching the whole counsel of God Most High. And then finally, 
in terms of the last ten, the Great Commission logically follows 
from the Passion. Some would suggest tonight we're 
having the Lord's Supper. Shouldn't our thoughts be more 
focused upon the blood, upon the death of our blessed Savior? 
It is. This is the logical outflow of 
what chapters 26 and 27 teach us. Actually, it's the logical 
outflow from the entirety of Matthew. His life, his death, 
his resurrection is so glorious that the church has the blessed 
privilege to proclaim it to the nations. to get glory for God 
Most High in the proclamation of the truth concerning Jesus. 
As well, it is the ordained means by God for the saving of sinners. For since, in the wisdom of God, 
the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God 
through the foolishness of the message preached to save those 
who believe. So to pursue the commission is 
to see the blessedness of the life and the death and the resurrection 
of Jesus. To pursue the commission does 
so understanding that God gets glory in the proclamation of 
the truth concerning his son and that this is what sinners 
desperately need to hear concerning salvation. It is in Christ and 
in him alone. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for the clarity 
of the Commission. We pray, God, that You would 
help us to be focused on these things and help us to be faithful 
in these things. As well, God, we pray that the 
Gospel would go to all nations of the earth, that You would 
be pleased to say from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, 
that you would send forth awakening for those who are dead in their 
trespasses and sins and revive your church and build us up and 
cause us to function in the manner that Christ specifies here in 
Matthew 28. And we pray these things in Jesus' 
name. Amen.