Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:16-20)
Many of you will be very familiar with this text. It is the classic passage on missions. You may have heard a number of sermons on this text before. But this blog post is not primarily about missions. I believe if you take a step back and look at these verses, you will see that they are also about something else, something that is even more important than missions.
The question I want you to consider is, “What is your relationship to Jesus Christ?” This question is much more important than the question “What is your relationship to missions?”. If you do not have a right relationship to Jesus Christ, it will be of no use challenging you about missions. Before you get involved in missions (and even after you get involved in missions), you must make sure that you have a right relationship to Christ. If you do not have this right relationship to Jesus, your mission efforts will be in vain. But if you have a right relationship to Jesus, you will not need to be challenged about missions – your involvement in missions will be a natural result. So what is your relationship to Jesus Christ?
From these five verses at the end of the Gospel of Matthew, I have six questions for you today.
Question 1: Have you met Jesus?
In Matthew 28:16, we read, “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.”
Here we see that the disciples had a meeting with Jesus. There was a specific time and place for this meeting. Now this was not their first encounter with Jesus. They had been together with Jesus for several years. But each disciple did at one time meet Jesus for the first time. And it was an encounter that changed their life.
What about you? Have you had an encounter with Jesus that changed your life? Have you repented of your sins and placed your faith in Jesus? Have you come to know Jesus as your Saviour, as your Lord, as your God, as your King, as your Shepherd and as your Friend?
Before you can be of any value on the mission field and before you can live any kind of a life that pleases God, you must have had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. This is the basis for everything that follows, including the next five questions. You must start by meeting Jesus and knowing Him as your Lord and Saviour.
Question 2: Are you worshipping Jesus?
Verse 17 says, “And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.”
Are you worshipping Jesus? Or are you doubting? Are you worshiping other things? Who or what has the greatest worth for you in life? What is it you are living for?
You don’t even need to answer this question. It is already evident by the way you live. In Matthew 7:20, Jesus said, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” With reference to this verse, Mark Cahill writes, “Whether you love Jesus or Satan will be evident by how you spend your time and resources.”
Worship is far much greater and much more important than missions. In his book
Let the Nations Be Glad
, John Piper writes,
Missions is not the ultimate goal of the Church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.
Question 3: Are you listening to Jesus?
Verse 18 starts out with these words: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying...”
When you read the gospels, you see very soon that Jesus has a lot to say to us – especially if you have a Bible where the words of Christ are marked in red. In one sense, Jesus has a message to give to us, and in another sense He Himself is God’s message to us. You see this especially in the Gospel of John.
In John 1:1, Jesus is called “the Word.” So Jesus is the Word, but He also speaks words to us. In John 6:61, Jesus says, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Jesus’ words are not throw-away phrases. They are words of life! You need to hear His words so that you can live! Peter understood this very well and when Jesus asked His disciples if they would also leave Him, Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Have you understood this truth and are you listening to Jesus so that you might have life? If you really are one of His sheep and know Him as your Shepherd, you will be listening to His voice. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).
Question 4: Are you trusting Jesus?
Let us now read the rest of verse 18: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
The Lord Jesus Christ has all authority and power! He has power over all creation, over all people, over sin, over illnesses, over death, over demons and over Satan. Nothing can have greater power over you than Jesus! Because He has all power, you can trust Him to fulfil His promises.
This does not mean that you won’t have difficulties in life. You will have difficulties and hardships. But you can trust Jesus in the midst of the worst situations in life, because He is greater than all! Romans 8:31-39 says the following:
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You will have difficulties in life, but you can trust and depend on Jesus in all circumstances! His authority is greater than what you may think or feel!
When Jesus speaks – listen! And when Jesus speaks – trust! Sometimes when Jesus speaks, He commands. When Jesus commands – obey! Trust and obey! This leads me to my next question for you today...
Question 5: Are you obeying Jesus?
Continuing in Matthew 28:19: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you...”
These well-known verses are often called the Great Commission. Concerning these verses, Hudson Taylor said, “The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.” Jesus Christ, who has all authority, commands us to be involved in missions! Every Christian can and must be involved in one way or another. Not all can go as missionaries – many must stay to send and support missionaries. John Piper says, “There are only three kinds of Christians when it comes to world missions: zealous goers, zealous senders, and disobedient.” What kind of a Christian are you?
But Jesus spoke on many more matters other than just missions! Are you obeying His commandments? Your obedience to the words and commands of Jesus is a good indicator of the kind of relationship you have with Him – whether you truly know Him or not. In 1 John 2:3-5, we read, “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.”
Question 6: Are you looking to Jesus?
For our last question, consider the final words of Jesus in this portion of Scripture: “and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
This little word “lo” in the King James Version is translated in the New International Version as “surely” and in the New Living Translation as “be sure of this”, but the literal meaning of the underlying Greek word is this: See! Behold! Look!
Where are you to look? To Jesus! In Hebrews 12:1-2, we read,
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
When are you to look to Jesus? Always! He Himself says, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” If Jesus is always with you, you can always look to Him.
Why are you to look to Jesus? Because He is your only hope! Isaiah 45:22 says, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” This is how you get saved! By looking to Jesus and realising that you needed God’s help. This does not change after you are saved. You still need Him. And you still need to look to Him. All the ends of the earth must look to Jesus. That includes you.
When you look to Jesus, you seek to meet Him, you behold His beauty and worship Him, you watch His lips to receive instruction from Him, you show your trust in Him and your dependence on Him, and as you do, you receive power to obey Him.
Is this your relationship to Jesus?
. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who desires to have a closer communion with Christ and to be an imitator of Christ. The book includes many helpful prayers centred around Christ and His work.