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Matthew chapter 28. Matthew chapter 
28. Our focus this morning will be 
on verses 16 to 18. Because there are so much going 
on in what's called the Great Commission in verses 18 to 20, 
it in many respects does summarize a great number of the themes 
in Matthew's gospel. So as we come to a conclusion 
soon of Matthew's gospel, it does make sense to slow down 
a little bit in this part of the exposition to sort of recapitulate 
those themes and to see how the Lord Jesus does instruct his 
church for their primary function in the world after His resurrection 
and His ascension back up into heaven. So verses 16 to 18 will 
be our focus, but I do want to begin reading in Matthew 28 at 
verse 1. 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. 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 is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where 
the Lord lay, and go quickly and tell His disciples that He 
is 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 worshiped 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 him 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. Let us pray. Father in 
heaven, we thank you for this blessed, wonderful, encouraging 
portion of Scripture. We thank you for the life and 
the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, for 
the glorious gospel of free and sovereign grace, for the fact 
that you made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we 
might become the righteousness of God in Him. May these things 
encourage our hearts this morning. And may you stir us up to worship 
and to praise and to adore our great God, Father, Son, and Holy 
Spirit. And may your Spirit come and 
convict those who are dead in their trespasses and sins. Awaken 
them, show them their sin, and show them the glory of the Lord 
Jesus Christ and His ability to save to the uttermost all 
who draw nigh unto God through Him. Do forgive us for our sins 
and our transgressions. Do wash us in the blood of the 
Lord Jesus. Cleanse us from all iniquity 
and all impurity. Cause us to approach You with 
fear and with great joy. And fill us now with the Holy 
Spirit. May He attend the preaching of Your Word, and may we respond 
to that Word by His power in a way that is well-pleasing in 
Your sight. We ask these things through Christ Jesus our Lord. 
Amen. Well, remember that last week 
we saw that verses 11 to 15 sort of serve as a counter mission 
to what we find here in the Great Commission in verses 18 to 20. 
And there are some obvious contrasts in view. The religious leaders 
use bribe money to pay off the soldiers so they'll go out and 
tell a lie concerning the empty tomb. Christ uses the promise 
of his presence to commission his followers to spread the truth. As well, we see that this particular 
narrative, this false narrative, in verses 11 to 15, gained traction 
among the Jews, according to verse 15. But the message of 
the Great Commission is to be proclaimed, preached to all the 
nations. Jesus has a comprehensive scope 
there, according to the promises made to Abraham way back in the 
Old Testament, that in him, or through his seed, all the nations, 
all the families of the earth would be blessed. And as well, 
we see that these religious leaders that fabricated this false narrative 
in verses 11 to 15, they died. They were ultimately of no benefit 
to these soldiers or to anyone else. But Christ promises His 
presence in verse 20. At the very end, He says, I am 
with you always, even to the end of the age. and not to sort 
of get ahead of ourselves, but one thing we ought to be encouraged 
about is that last statement in Matthew's gospel, especially 
in light of one of the first statements in Matthew's gospel. You shall call his name Jesus, 
for it is he who will save his people from their sins. Also, 
you shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us. The gospel of Matthew 
begins with Christ as God with us. The gospel of Matthew concludes 
with Christ as God with us. And this is the emphasis in the 
commission in terms of assurance provided to his church that while 
they go about this commission, he is present among them. Well, 
as I said, we'll look at verses 16 to 18. We'll look under two 
considerations. First, the meeting in Galilee 
in verses 16 and 17. And then secondly, the authority 
behind the commission. the authority behind the commission. But note first their arrival 
in Galilee according to verse 16. Then the eleven disciples 
went away into Galilee to the mountain which Jesus had appointed 
for them. So the disciples obeyed. The 
angel told the women to go tell the disciples. As they were going 
to tell the disciples, Jesus met them, and Jesus said, go 
tell the disciples to meet me in Galilee. This is precisely 
what these disciples do. They obey the women's instruction 
on the authority, obviously, of the risen Christ, and as well, 
according to this angelic proclamation. Jesus had already specified in 
Matthew 26, 32, that He would be raised on the third day and 
that He would go to Galilee. So that explains the purpose. 
And if we ask the question, why Galilee? Wasn't Jerusalem more 
of a central place or more of a better place in order to launch 
this worldwide campaign? Well, remember that Jesus begins 
His ministry in Galilee, and there it's described as Galilee 
of the Gentiles, with the prophet Isaiah in the background. So 
it makes sense that in Galilee of the Gentiles, this worldwide 
mission would be launched by the king, the authority, the 
risen Lord, as he sends out his church upon this particular task. Now, note their response to the 
Lord Jesus in verse 17. When they saw him, they worshiped 
him, but some doubted. Now, worship is a great response 
to the Lord Jesus. In other words, that's what we're 
about. That's what we're made to do. 
That's why we come here on Sunday. Why is Sunday significant? Because 
we get to go to the house of the Lord and worship our great 
God and Savior. I wonder if we look at it in 
that sort of a way. We look at, you know, what it 
means to be a Christian. Well, it means my sins are forgiven, 
to be sure. It means that I'm redeemed by 
the precious blood of the Lamb. It means that I'm going to go 
to heaven. It means that I now have the freedom, the ability, 
and the desire to worship the King of kings and Lord of lords. 
I have been set free from the idolatry and the bondage and 
the wickedness of slavery to sin. As a result, I no longer 
serve those former taskmasters. As a result, I no longer bow 
the knee to the bottle, or to the drugs, or to the sex, or 
to the power, or to the job. I no longer bow to Baal, but 
I have been free to bow to the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, ultimately, 
we all live in submission to some authority. Ultimately, we 
are all beholden to an authority. Ultimately, we all worship something. And I don't think we fully understand 
or appreciate what the ramifications of that is. If we are drug addicts, 
our God just happens to be drugs that take the form of Baal. If 
we worship sex, that's still a form of idolatry. Sin at its 
root essence is a form of idolatry. It's a rejection of the living 
and true God, and it's a pursuing of those things which are not 
God. And so in this gospel, we have been freed. We have been 
liberated. We no longer bow the knee to 
Baal, and we get to bow the knee to the King of kings and Lord 
of lords. But it is intriguing, notice in verse 17, when they 
saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted. Why did they 
doubt? Well, before we even ask that 
question, it is intriguing that Matthew is not trying to put 
together a forgery. It is intriguing that Matthew 
is not putting together a fake. Matthew tells us the truth, even 
if the truth perplexes. Matthew tells us the truth, even 
if we scratch our heads and say, why in the world would these 
men doubt in the presence of the risen Lord? You see, men 
that would conspire together to create a narrative would smooth 
out all the unsavory details. You wouldn't expect things like 
some doubted in a carefully managed manuscript that was designed 
to promote a falsehood. You want to shave off the rough 
edges. You want to make sure that everyone buys what you're 
laying out. You want to make sure that there's no sort of 
discrepancy whatsoever. But the realist, or the true 
writer rather, tells us no matter the case. Just like in the Old 
Testament books of 1st and 2nd Samuel. They don't sanitize the 
life and the ministry and the service of King David. They don't 
wash him with Clorox. Rather, they set him before us 
and tell us the manner of man that he was. Truth has nothing 
to hide. And if some doubt it, Matthew 
is going to tell us that they doubt it. There's apologetic 
significance even in this short clause, but some doubt it. Now, as we investigate it further, 
we ask the question, why? There are several views in terms 
of who's in place or who are the ones who doubt it. The grammar 
could be taken in one of three ways. It could have been some 
of the 11. Some within this band of the 
11 both worshiped and doubted. As well, it could have been some 
others other than the 11. Supposing this is the instance 
Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 15, 6, where Jesus appears to 
500 persons at once. So you've got the 11 who worship, 
and then you've got some of these others, these sort of hangers-on, 
these other disciples, and they doubted. Some suggest it meant 
all of the 11 themselves doubted. I think it's best to understand 
it as sum of the 11. There was a time when Jesus did 
appear to 500 at once, but in this instance, Matthew focuses 
upon the 11. Now, when we look at that particular 
word that's used, it does mean doubt, but it also has the sense 
of hesitate. If you ask the question, how 
could you both worship and hesitate all at the same time? Think about 
the scenario. Think about the situation. How 
does one respond when their close personal friend was crucified, 
buried, and is now standing before them? Would you be a bit hesitant? Consider the fact as well, with 
reference to these 11, the last time they saw him was when they 
had forsaken him. They abandoned him. So yes, worship 
in the presence of the risen Christ, but a bit of hesitation, 
because how is he going to deal with us after we had forsaken 
him? And it could be just simply that 
he was a way off and they weren't sure. In John 21, that's the 
scenario. Christ is on the shore, the disciples 
are in the boat, and they can't tell if it's him or not. The 
fact that in verse 18 he comes to them might indicate that that 
might have been the simple explanation. They hesitated because perhaps 
they weren't absolutely sure. But it's probably more likely 
they hesitated because they didn't know what else to do. Look back 
at Matthew 14 for just a moment. Matthew 14, where we see the 
verb used here as well. Matthew 14, 31, and immediately 
Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him and said to him, 
this is when Jesus is walking on the water and Peter joins 
him. And immediately Jesus stretched 
out his hand and caught him and said to him, oh, you of little 
faith, why did you doubt? Why did you hesitate? Why was 
there this struggle? Again, we could psychoanalyze 
Peter and say, what a terrible person that he expresses this 
little faith. He was walking on water. You wouldn't be a little bit 
hesitant about that and the ramifications therein? They had abandoned the 
master and now he's standing before them. They worship him 
because he's worthy. He is the eternal son of God, 
declared to be so by the power of the resurrection in Romans 
1-4. There's a hesitation there. in 
the presence of one who died and had been raised from the 
dead. So there's a little faithness 
to be sure, but there is this worship, there is this adoration, 
there is this knowledge of the Holy One. As Gil says, with divine 
adoration they worship as the eternal Son of God, for so He 
was now declared to be by His resurrection from the dead, Romans 
1.4. So we see this meeting in Galilee 
and some see the significance of the mountain. Jesus appears 
in several places or several times throughout the gospel on 
the mountain. There's an imagery of Moses appearing 
on the mountain. There's a commissioning service 
that is very typical of Old Testament with an Old Testament background. 
We'll investigate that, God willing, next week in a bit more detail. 
But the mountain here I don't think is to be interpreted too 
significantly other than the fact that this is where they 
had agreed to meet, and now Jesus gives them their marching orders. 
But notice in verse 18, the authority behind the commission. This is 
where we're going to spend our time for the rest of this morning. 
I don't mean until the rest of this morning. Actually, I do. 
We're going to probably end closer to the time when the morning 
actually ends. So this authority behind the commission, Christ 
is going to tell his disciples, this little band of men, this 
11, these apostles, he's going to tell them something that applies 
not only to them, but it applies to the church throughout the 
age. And it's quite a big, significant thing. He wants them to go and 
make disciples of all the nations. That doesn't mean, you know, 
each nation as a body politic. In other words, we don't take 
water and sprinkle it over Canada and call it a Christian nation. 
The idea is, is go to these various nations and make disciples of 
the various people groups within those nations. And the disciples 
that are made, you baptize them and then you teach them and they 
must obey me. Jesus Christ is going to tell 
His disciples to do this great commission, but He doesn't tell 
them to do it apart from His authority. And we need to appreciate 
that authority with reference to this great commission. Notice 
in verse 18, Jesus came and spoke to them saying, all authority 
has been given to me in heaven and on earth. So there are several 
things we ought to appreciate about this authority that Jesus 
Christ has been given by the Father with reference to heaven 
and earth. In the first place, the authority 
of Christ has been demonstrated in many places in Matthew's gospel. As I said, this section sort 
of recapitulates several themes or brings together several strands 
of thought into one compact place. We ask the question, what happened 
to the disciples? Chapter 26, they abandoned him, 
they departed from him. Well, here's the answer or the 
resolution to that particular tension. They're back with their 
Lord, they're forgiven of their sins, they're given their marching 
orders. We see Christ assert here absolute, unrivaled, unparalleled 
authority. We say, well, haven't we seen 
that authority along the way as we've surveyed Matthew's gospel? We certainly have. We have seen 
that authority demonstrated in his healing ministry in Matthew 
4 and in Matthew 9. We have seen that authority demonstrated 
in his teaching ministry. Remember after the Sermon on 
the Mount? They marveled, because He taught them not like the scribes, 
but as one who had authority. We have seen that authority of 
the Lord Jesus Christ with reference to His authority over nature. 
Vis-a-vis, He's able to walk on the water. Vis-a-vis, He's 
able to calm the waves. He's able to still the wind. 
Christ has absolute authority over nature, and that has been 
demonstrated in Matthew's Gospel. We also see His authority over 
demons. In Matthew 8, Matthew 12, Matthew 
17, what does he do to exercise authority over these demons, 
or display, rather, his authority over these demons? He casts them 
out. As well, we have seen his authority 
to forgive sins. Remember that instance in Matthew 
chapter 9 when Jesus is teaching and men lower a man down who's 
a paralytic on his mat, they lower him down into the place 
where Christ is teaching. And Christ sees that man who's 
been lowered down, he's paralyzed, that's his obvious problem. And 
Jesus said, son, thy sins are forgiven thee. And of course, 
the religious leaders start to stroke their beards and their 
heads and they say, who does this man think he is? Only God alone 
can forgive sins. So Jesus says, which is easier, 
to say to the man, your sins are forgiven, or to tell him 
to rise up and take his mat and walk? Well, it's easier to say 
that your sins are forgiven, because we don't know if that's 
actually happened. That's why Jesus says to the 
man, take up your bed and walk. And the reason why he does that, 
because if the man now takes up his bed and walks, it does 
demonstrate what Christ says specifically, that the Son of 
Man has power to forgive sins on earth. Christ has authority. And I want to just say, by way 
of this particular observation, that's good news if you're still 
in your sins. There is one who has the authority 
to forgive you of your sins. If you sin against me, I'd like 
to think I would forgive you, but I can't deal with your sin 
problem. I can't deal with your sins against 
your wife, or your sins against your husband, or your sins against 
your children, or your sins against your God. But Christ can. He has authority to forgive. 
He has the power to forgive. He has the ability and, yay, 
the willingness to cleanse us from our sins. If you ever ask 
the question, well, is he willing? Does he want to? Is this something 
that's indicative of who Christ is? This is the purpose for which 
he came. That's what I don't get. In some 
sort of sectors, we have this idea that God saves, but very 
grudgingly. God saves, but very unwilling. Well, okay, I'll accept you, 
but, you know, I'd rather not. That's sort of the conception 
of God that we meet in some circles. Okay, like this miserly, Ebenezer 
Scrooge type of God. You know, he's going to dole 
out a few pennies to you and pat you on your head and send 
you on your way. The God revealed to us in the 
Bible is the father of the prodigal. When that prodigal's a long way 
off and reeking like pig, the father runs to him, the father 
falls on him, the father kisses him, the father then orders a 
great feast to be held in his honor. The God of Scripture is 
described for us in the very beginning of that particular 
scene. When the scribes and the Pharisees see the popularity 
of Jesus and they say, this man receives sinners and eats with 
them, Christ illustrates the point with the story of the prodigal. Of course I receive sinners and 
eat with them. That's the purpose for which 
I came. God so loved the world that he 
gave his only begotten son. I think as Calvinists or reformed 
people, we spend a lot of time telling people what that doesn't 
mean, but we forget to tell them what it does mean. He does love 
the world. He gave his only begotten son 
that everyone who believes in that son will have everlasting 
life. It's not universalism, it's not 
teaching every man without exception, it is teaching every man without 
distinction, but the fact that God loves the world, the fact 
that God the Lord has sent His Son into this world is the first 
and foremost indicator that He's willing to save sinners. This 
idea that God saves, but grudgingly so, God saves only because he 
has to, is absolutely contrary to the picture of God portrayed 
for us in the parable of the prodigal son. The Lord God runs 
from the porch, and I'm speaking metaphorically, using the imagery 
that Jesus uses, speaking in the manner of men. He runs from 
the porch, he falls on prodigals, and he gives them big kisses, 
even when they smell like pigs. I'm sorry, if I was the father, 
I'd tell him to go shower up, and then I'll give you a kiss. Behold your God. Return ye backsliding 
children, and I will heal your backsliding, says Yahweh in Jeremiah 
3. Behold your God. He is not against 
saving sinners. This is His function. This is 
what He's about. Secondly, the authority of Christ 
includes heaven and is reminiscent of many Old Testament passages. You can turn to the book of Deuteronomy. 
to work our way through several observations concerning the authority 
of Christ. The first, the authority of Christ 
has been demonstrated in Matthew's Gospel. Secondly, the authority 
of Christ includes heaven and is reminiscent of Old Testament 
texts, wherein Yahweh has all authority in heaven and on earth. 
There are many texts which speak of God creating heaven and earth, 
but texts that speak specifically to God having authority or sovereignty 
or power with reference to heaven and earth. Deuteronomy chapter 
3 and verse 24. Deuteronomy 3, 24, O Lord God, 
you have begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty 
hand. For what God is there in heaven or on earth who can do 
anything like your works and your mighty deed? The implication, 
there is no other. It's God alone who has this power. 
It's God alone who has this authority in heaven and on earth. Deuteronomy 
4. Deuteronomy 4, specifically verse 
39. Therefore, know this day and 
consider in your heart that the Lord himself is God in heaven 
above and on the earth beneath. There is no other. Deuteronomy 
10.14, Deuteronomy 10.14, just to sort of illustrate or show 
how what Christ says in Matthew 28.18 is reminiscent of these 
Old Testament passages asserting the absolute, unrivaled, unparalleled 
sovereignty and authority of Yahweh over heaven and earth. 
Deuteronomy 10, 14, indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong 
to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it. 
And then turn over to 1 Kings chapter 8. 1 Kings chapter 8, 
at the dedication of the temple, Solomon rehearses this very theme. 
1 Kings chapter 8 at verse 23. The unrivaled sovereignty, authority, 
power of Yahweh. 1 Kings 8, 23, and he said, "'Lord 
God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below 
like you, who keep your covenant and mercy with your servants, 
who walk before you with all their hearts.'" You see, when 
Christ asserts absolute authority, we've seen it fleshed out in 
His earthly ministry. We have seen it in his healing 
ministry. We have seen it in his ability 
to cast out demons. We see it in his teaching ministry. 
We see it that he has a power authority on earth to forgive 
sins. But now Christ is speaking comprehensively in terms of all 
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. And I think this is a lesson 
that the church desperately needs to recover. We think Christ's 
authority pertains to church and religion. We don't see the 
authority outside the four walls of the local church. We don't 
see Christ's authority over us on Wednesday. Well, maybe, because 
we come here for Bible study on Wednesday night. We don't 
see that authority on Thursday morning. We don't see it in our 
business dealings. We don't see it in our marriages. 
We don't see it in the parent-child relationship. We have this truncated 
small view of the authority of Christ. It pertains to the church, 
but what I do outside the church is all up to me. And I'm most 
important in the universe. I'll throw Jesus in on Sunday 
because that's what people do. But in terms of a recognition 
of his unrivaled, unparalleled, majestic, sovereign authority 
over all things, I submit that much of the church today, certainly 
the world, thinks like the Syrians in 1 Kings chapter 20. Remember, 
in 1 Kings chapter 20, there was an interesting situation. 
Ahab was the king of Israel. Not a great fellow, by the way. 
Nevertheless, God was God over Israel, and he wanted to protect 
Israel. There was a man by the name of 
Ben-Hadad. He was the king of Syria, a sworn 
enemy of Israel. Well, Ben-Hadad besieges Samaria. Ben-Hadad wages war against Samaria. You know what happens? Israel 
won. You know what the Syrians concluded? 
We fought them in the hills, and their gods are the gods of 
the hills. So therefore, we lost. Think about it. Christ has crown 
rights over what I do on Sunday, but Tuesday is mine. Is your 
God a God of the hills? So what do you think the Syrians 
then thought? Well, if they're the gods of 
the hills, we'll fight them in the plains. Guess what happened? They lost on the plains too. This is a fundamental error for 
people, misunderstanding sovereign authority. When Jesus says, all 
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, he means 
all authority over your life. He means on Thursday. He means 
on Friday. He certainly means on the Sabbath 
day. He means for your religious life, 
your ethical life, your business life, your political life, Christ 
has crown rights over you. Davis speaks to this situation 
in his commentary there on 1 Kings. He says, by the coming victory, 
Yahweh will show both goodness to Israel and get glory for himself. In other words, why is God going 
to bless Ahab and Israel and help them defeat the Syrian army? 
Well, because he's going to show his goodness and he's going to 
get glory for himself. The latter is the primary concern 
in verse 28. It's intriguing. Two occasions 
in 1 Kings 20, God says, or the prophet says, that you may know 
that Yahweh is God. He's not speaking to the Syrians 
there. Guess who he's speaking to? Ahab and the Israelites. Who needs that lesson that Christ 
has absolute, unrivaled, unparalleled majesty and authority? It's the 
church. We know the pagans don't think 
he has any sway over anything else. It's getting church people 
to remember that all authority in heaven and earth means all 
authority in heaven and on earth. I don't know why it is we stumble 
with that little phrase there. But he says, the latter is the 
primary concern in verse 28. Syrian foolishness has distorted 
the truth about Yahweh, casting him in the image of a Hamjan 
pagan deity. When Israel levels them on level 
ground, Yahweh shall have exposed their theological nonsense for 
what it is. They move from the hills where 
they lose and they accredit it to Yahweh being the God of the 
hills. Let's move it out onto the plains. Let's move it out 
onto flat ground. They lost again. What's Davis 
say there? Yahweh shall have exposed their 
theological nonsense for what it is. Now after disaster number 
two, with reference to the Syrians, they now have an opportunity 
to see the truth about Israel's God if they will learn the lesson. He's not just the God of the 
hills, and he's not just the God of the plains, he is the 
God of heaven and earth. He has absolute sovereign authority. But Davis points out what I mentioned 
earlier. However, the man of God or the 
prophet stresses the impact the prophecy and the victory should 
have upon Israel. And you shall know that I am 
Yahweh. Frequently, it is God's professed 
covenant people who most need convinced of Yahweh's power and 
omnipotence. We may stand within Israel's 
camp, but keep lapsing into Syrian modes of thinking. Let's sink 
in for just a moment. How many of you, if not doctrinally 
would confess this, practically evidence this? Christ is Lord 
when I'm at worship, but I can live like Belial is Lord the 
rest of my life? I can live and function and move 
and have my being without any regard whatsoever to the sovereign 
authority of King Jesus Christ? I can just remove him from my 
thoughts. I can pretend that he's just 
not there. I can live life as if he's just 
sort of an accouterment to my already busy life. I'll throw 
him on. I'll tack him on on Sunday. I'll 
do my religious bidding. I'll fulfill my moral obligations, 
but not twice on Sunday, just once. And I will continue in 
my rebellion against his authority. I wonder if we have lapsed into 
the Syrian mode of thinking. It's an intriguing thing because 
the Book of Revelation deals with not just religion, but it 
deals with politics. And, you know, whatever your 
view on the beasts are or is, we're not going to get into all 
that. But most see, at least in one beast, a political power 
of some sort. That's as vague as I can make 
it without offending everybody. Political power of some sort. 
Everybody sees that. unless you're really whacked 
out and it's really, really literal and that's actually a physical 
monster that emerges from the Mediterranean Sea. Most people 
don't see it that way. They see the beast as some sort 
of political foe. Isn't it intriguing when John 
writes his opening greeting to the saints that he is writing 
to that are in this current situation, that are suffering under oppressive 
regimes, he describes Jesus Christ as the faithful witness, the 
firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the 
earth. So I think at the very outset, 
John is saying to them, by way of this greeting, whatever those 
beasts are doing, they're under the sway and power and command 
of King Jesus Christ. We saw it the other night in 
our Bible study, in 2 Kings chapter 19. Sennacherib rises up and he boasts. Look at what I've done. I've 
bashed or battered the cedars of Lebanon. I've dug wells. I've 
conquered peoples. I have done all these things. 
And Yahweh says to him, haven't you heard? That was me. I raised you up, Sennacherib. 
I raised up Assyria. I used you to chasten and discipline 
my erring covenant people. And now that you've boasted, 
and now that you've risen up in rebellion against me, I'm 
gonna put you down just like I put them down. Now, that's 
the Jim Butler paraphrase, but that's precisely what he does. 
You see, brethren, truncated views of the authority of Jesus 
Christ lead people into a whole host of bad things. It leads 
people into a whole host of bad, bad things. We need to see the 
crown rights of Jesus Christ in every area of our lives. We 
don't pick and choose what authority will allow Him to rule or reign 
over us. Thirdly, we ought to appreciate, 
with reference to this authority of Christ in Matthew 28, 18, 
that it's not a passive waiting in heaven type of authority. but it is an active exercise 
of his universal lordship in calling these apostles to go 
and to disciple the nations. In other words, we don't have 
an absentee king. We don't have a king in name 
only, but we have a king, and he rules over his church. He 
spoke to his church in the first century context. He has promised 
his presence with us until he comes again, and we are to be 
about the task that He is entrusted to our care. He's not passive. He's not just watching from some 
distant cosmic perch. He is active. He is present. 
He is Emmanuel. While the church engages in what 
she's supposed to, with reference to disciple-making that is attended 
by baptism and teaching, while the church does that, her ever-present 
Lord is her ever-present Lord. Fourthly, we ought to appreciate 
that the authority of Christ is a further demonstration of 
his triumph over his enemies. I mean, I say a further, I had 
a demonstration or the demonstration, but the fact that he left the 
tomb showed victory over his enemies. But this assertion or 
declaration concerning his absolute authority over all things in 
heaven and on earth is another demonstration of his victory 
over his enemies. Consider his earthly enemies. 
What did they do? They plotted back in Matthew 
12 to destroy him. Even prior to that, they engaged 
with him confrontationally. We could say that he was rejected 
in his earthly ministry. We can certainly see that he 
was betrayed by these wicked men and assisted or aided by 
Judas Iscariot. We see that these wicked men 
then had him crucified, nailed to a cross. They mocked him, 
particularly his kingship, when he's on the cross. They mock 
him, they scorn him, they deride him, and then he is risen from 
the dead. Isn't that a beautiful display 
of the absolute authority of Jesus Christ and his triumph 
over his earthly enemies? But consider his hellish enemy 
as well, the devil. Remember way back when, for those 
of you who actually care, we started Matthew in 2011. Now 
there's probably one or two ways you can take that. You mean he's 
punished us for that long? Or two, well, that was a long 
time ago. I don't think that was an every 
Sunday, you know, visit with Matthew, but it's been a while. 
But if you go all the way back to Matthew four, the devil tempted 
Jesus and promised him something, didn't he? You see all this? You can have it all. It can all 
be yours if you just bow down to me and you worship. That's not what Jesus did. Jesus 
obeyed the Father. I think R.T. France explains 
this concept well. At the beginning of the gospel, 
Satan offered Jesus sovereignty over the whole earth, but his 
offer was refused. Now Jesus, going the way of obedience 
to his Father's will, even to the cross, has received far more 
than Satan could offer. He has all authority in heaven 
and on earth. Fifthly, we ought to appreciate 
the authority of Christ here is not his due to his being the 
second person of the Trinity, but this authority is conferred 
upon him in his mediatorial office. It's not as God the Son, or the 
second person rather, of the Trinity, that this is conferred 
upon Him. Because as God, He's always been 
and He's always had absolute authority. It's in His capacity, 
in His office, in His role as mediator, specifically seen in 
Prophet, Priest, and King. It's in that capacity that Christ 
has this authority. Our confession indicates this, 
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. John Gill 
explains, which is to be understood of him, this assertion of his 
all-authority-ness, which is to be understood of him not as 
God, who has the same original and underrived power and authority 
over all creatures and things in heaven and on earth, as the 
Father has, but as mediator, to whom all things are delivered 
by the Father. This is the way you are to understand 
Ephesians 1 and Philippians 2 and Colossians 1. Persons sometimes 
are perplexed and say, well, isn't Jesus God? Didn't he already 
have all authority and power? He is receiving this in his mediatorial 
office as the God-man, as the messianic king, as the ruler 
over this kingdom. It was prophesied of him concerning 
this in Isaiah 9, 6. What's one of the things we confess? 
Not only along with his blessed names, but the government shall 
be on his shoulders. Isn't that the case? Isn't that 
precisely what we find in this assertion of absolute authority? 
We see fulfillment. We see realization. We see what 
was anticipated concerning Christ the mediator in old covenant 
prophecy is now brought to pass after the resurrection. Jesus 
says, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to 
me. Again, Ephesians 1, Philippians 
2, Colossians chapter 1, and then 1 Corinthians 15, 28. When 
Christ delivers up the kingdom to the Father, he will then subject 
himself to the Father. That's not according to his deity, 
that's according to his manhood, with reference to his place as 
mediator submitting to the Father. There's no ontological distinction 
with reference to the persons of the triune God, but with reference 
to function, the son willingly submits, the son willingly subordinates 
himself, the son willingly takes to himself the office of mediator 
and surety, and it's based on that reality that all authority 
in heaven and on earth has been given to him. Sixthly, the authority 
of Christ echoes Daniel 7, 13, and 14. I actually didn't ask 
Pastor Porter to read Daniel 7, 13, and 14 this morning. He intuited that that might be 
a crucial text when we came to the Great Commission. Daniel 
7, 13, and 14 is played out right before your eyes. What does Daniel 
7, 13, and 14 tell us? One, like the Son of Man, came 
to the Ancient of Days. When he came to the Ancient of 
Days, Absolute sovereignty was given to him. That's his declaration 
in verse 18. What's he do with that absolute 
sovereignty? According to Daniel, we read. 
And I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like 
the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to 
the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. 
Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom." That's 
what we see here in verse 18. That all peoples, nations, and 
languages should serve Him. That's what we're going to see 
in verse 19. Go therefore and make disciples of who? All the 
nations. You see, behind this is a great 
swath of biblical teaching from the Old Testament. Psalm 2, ask 
of me, the Father says, and I will give you what? The nations for 
your inheritance. You see, the Father's already 
given that to the Son, so that when the Son sends forth the 
apostles, we're just supposed to obey. We're not supposed to 
go, well, is this tribe or is this people or is this group? 
What's he say to Paul in Corinth and the book of Acts? He tells 
Paul, don't fear, don't fret, I have many people in this city. 
The Father's already gifted this to him. The job of the church 
is to go out and preach, teach, make disciples, baptize them, 
add them to the church and teach them how to think God's thoughts 
after him. That's the emphasis. Daniel 7, 
13, and 14 is a specific echo in our text here. Seventhly, 
the authority of Christ summarizes Matthew's emphasis on the kingship 
of Christ. I think verse 1 of Matthew's 
gospel sets the stage for everything. He is son of Abraham. He is son 
of David. This all-nations focus should 
make you think Abraham. I mean, get to the point where 
you just think that way. All nations, Jesus' language, 
Abraham, Genesis 12, Genesis 13, Genesis 17, Genesis 22, Genesis 
18. You remember that scene in Genesis 13? God says, I want 
you to look north, I want you to look south, I want you to 
look east, I want you to look west. You're gonna inherit all 
of it. Well, Paul tells us in Romans 
4.13 that Abraham would inherit the world. Not 
just Palestine, not just Israel, not just the land of Canaan, 
the world. all the nations of the earth 
will be blessed in you. Not because of Abraham intrinsically, 
but because of the seed of Abraham, who is Jesus Christ, according 
to Paul in Galatians chapter three. So when we read son of 
Abraham in Matthew one, we ought to think Christ, mission to the 
nations. But when we read that he's son 
of David, we ought to think kingship. Royalty! And isn't that precisely 
how Matthew sets him forth? I mean, that genealogy in Matthew's 
Gospel points us to David. That genealogy in Matthew's Gospel 
connects Jesus to David. What do we find in chapter 2? 
What are the Magi looking for? Good deals in the marketplaces 
in Israel? They're looking for the King 
of the Jews. Do you know how many times in 
Matthew's gospel the Lord Jesus is referred to as the son of 
David? The triumphal entry in Matthew 
chapter 21, in accordance with the prophet Zechariah, when he 
rides into that city on the foal, the colt of a donkey, when he 
does that, that's symbolic. He's king, he's royalty. He is 
David's son. And then, of course, he's mocked 
for this very claim when he's on the cross by the religious 
leaders. that he is the one that has them 
under his toe, under his foot. He must reign till all of his 
enemies are made his footstool, including these men that betrayed 
him, that rejected him, that delivered him up to be crucified 
and to suffer and to die. And many, many times, hearkening 
back to the reference in Daniel 7, 13 and 14, one like the son 
of man came to the ancient of days. How many times did Jesus 
refer to himself as son of man? And it has the connotation of 
universal kingship, universal power, universal rule. So those 
are seven observations concerning the authority that are more doctrinal 
in nature. The eighth and final is practical 
in nature, as we get right back into the context. The authority 
of Christ is the necessary foundation for the apostles and the subsequent 
ministry of the Church. In other words, he's going to 
tell them to do something very, very massive. Remember that false 
narrative had some traction among the Jews. Jesus wants all nations. Jesus has received all nations 
from the Father, so he's going to tell his disciples to go to 
all the nations. to make disciples of all the 
nations, to baptize because he's building this massive church 
that's collected from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 
He is assembling a great multitude from every corner of this world 
through the proclamation of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
In order to get persons to do that and to do it with any degree 
of effectiveness, it is necessary that there be power behind this 
mandate. Calvin makes the observation, 
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. In other words, if you go out 
and you preach the truth, you are going to upset people. You 
have probably seen that in your own lives, in your own practice. 
You could tell anybody anything about everything, but the moment 
you say, I love Jesus, and I love to worship him, they look at 
you like you're an odd duck. They may even be violent or antagonistic. At least, you know, we don't 
see a lot of that, but, you know, if we were living in the Sudan, 
or we were living in, you know, Saudi Arabia, or we were living 
in one of those other places, and it were known that we were 
believers, typically people don't just welcome you with open arms. 
So Jesus backs the church, as it were, with his authority. It's kind of like telling your 
kid to go down and buy a loaf of bread, and you tell him, you 
tell the shopkeeper that I sent you. I come with the authority 
of my Father. That's how we go. That's how 
we minister. We're not disconnected from the 
head. The body is not on its own. We are vitally connected 
to the head. We need to simply obey what Christ 
has called us to do in this particular passage, and we need to do so 
with joy. Well, brethren, in conclusion, 
I think we learn first with reference to the authority of Christ and 
the people of God, for the church, we need to obey. We need to do 
what's commanded here. And I mentioned this yesterday 
in our theology meeting with the men. It was only men there. 
Usually there's men and women, but it was just men yesterday, 
so I'm not being sexist and a pig. It was just men. This whole idea of the church 
and what she's supposed to do, Verse 19. Well, should we have this ministry 
and that ministry and that ministry and that ministry and that ministry? I'm not necessarily gonna condemn 
all that, but if we're not doing Matthew 28, 19, all that stuff 
doesn't matter. It's a very simple mandate. I 
don't know where we got so confused along the way What's the purpose 
for the church? Very simple. Make disciples. Baptize disciples. And wow, can 
you imagine? Teach disciples. People want the church to do 
everything but that. I've heard that complaint about 
our church. It's all about teaching. It's 
all cerebral. Yeah, that's what it's supposed 
to be. 1 Timothy 3, the church is the 
house of God. The pillar and ground of the 
best entertainment. The pillar and ground of the 
most emotionally comforting words. It's the pillar and ground of 
the truth. Brethren, do you know what's 
important to you with reference to my relationship to you? Is 
me opening the Bible and preaching truth to you. It really is. You may not always 
appreciate the way I do it, but brethren, that's what matters. 
It's about teaching new disciples to think about the Trinity. to 
know what justification by faith alone actually means, to know 
what sanctification's all about and how we ought to get busy 
living for God. This mission, narrowly defined 
by our Lord Jesus in Matthew 28, 19, for whatever reason, 
perplexes the church today. What are we supposed to do? How 
are we supposed to do it? Matthew 28, 19, man, make disciples, 
baptize those disciples and teach them. So when people have said that 
to me in the past, oh, your church just emphasizes teaching. They 
mean it as a diss. I'm like, good, praise God. I'll 
take that one. If my gravestone ends up saying 
all he did was preach the word, praise God. I'll feel like I 
did what I was supposed to do. I would suggest as well, with 
reference to this all-authority-ness of Jesus, I've highlighted our 
responsibility to the kingship of Christ, but let's highlight 
the comfort that this affords. Jesus has all authority in heaven 
and on earth. Where should we take our weary, 
battered souls but to our King? Where should we take our difficulties 
and our trials and our sorrows and our woes, but to our King? Where should we be frequently 
in the presence of our King? We ought to appreciate as well 
the viability of the Great Commission. When Jesus says what we're supposed 
to do in verse 19, he grounds it upon his sovereign authority 
in verse 18. This is why I would suggest that 
the Great Commission is a viable mission. If it were up to us, 
if it were up to men, if it were up to any ingenuity on our part, 
the Great Commission wouldn't have made it out of the first 
century. It would not have survived the first century. The first 
whiff of persecution, we'd have said, well, forget it. The fact 
that Christ has absolute authority, the fact that Christ has every 
ounce of authority is the reason for the viability of the Great 
Commission. Christ will have dominion. Christ will see the travail of 
his soul. Christ will be satisfied. Christ will receive the nations. Christ will be glorified. Christ will be able to present 
the kingdom to his father so that God is all in all. Brethren, there is a great deal 
of encouragement and hope in this particular section of Holy 
Scripture. And I want to end where I kind 
of began this morning, the legitimate response to our Lord Jesus Christ, 
according to the disciples' response when they meet him in Galilee, 
in verse 17, is they worshiped. they worshiped. Brothers and 
sisters, in the Lord Jesus, consider yourself blessed and privileged 
that you've been freed from slavery and worshiped to Baal, to worship 
and serve the living and true God. Doesn't the Ten Commandments 
sort of function in that way? The first commandment, you shall 
have no other gods before me. That may sound like law and harsh 
and demanding. What's the context? I am Yahweh, 
your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of 
the house of bondage. I have freed you from that slavery. Therefore, have no other gods 
before me. True liberty, true joy, true 
happiness is for the creature to serve their creator. And in 
Christ Jesus, we have been freed. And if you are not a believer 
here this morning and you are a worshipper of idols, whatever 
they may be, could be mammon, could be bale, could be drugs, 
could be sex, could be work, could be persons, could be a 
whole host of things. If none of the above, probably 
you. That's the last idol to die in 
any man, woman, boy or girl is the idol of self. Our favorite 
word in the English language is me. If that is true of you 
this morning, the way of salvation is by the grace of God through 
faith in Jesus Christ. One of the brothers made a great 
observation yesterday in the theology study. When those Israelites 
were bitten in the wilderness by those fiery serpents, and 
Moses erected that brazen serpent, and he told them to look and 
live, probably those ones bitten didn't say, what do you mean? 
How do I know I'm alive? Am I predestined to look? Should 
I? They just looked. You get bit by a fiery serpent 
and somebody tells you to look at that one and you'll live. 
You don't want to theologically discourse with them. You don't 
want to talk about the doctrine of predestination. You want to 
look at that brazen snake so you don't die of poison. And 
yet Jesus uses that analogy, says he'll be lifted up just 
like that snake. And instead of looking and living, 
many of you want to continue to not do that. Take a cue from 
the Israelite bitten in the wilderness. When he heard, look and live, 
he looked and lived. That's my encouragement to you 
this morning. Look and live. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank you for your word. We thank you for your graciousness. 
We thank you for your love and your mercy and your kindness. 
We thank you for the all authority that you've given to your son, 
the Lord Jesus. We thank you that he has absolute 
power. We thank you that he is our God. 
And we want to worship in spirit and truth We pray that you would 
encourage our hearts with these studies, that you would build 
us up in our most holy faith, and that you would cause us to 
be faithful to you. And we pray these things through 
Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. We'll have a brief time 
of meditation, then I'll come back up and give thanks for the 
food, and then we can go upstairs for some food and fellowship.