Reaching the World

The reason we are left here is in order that we might make disciples of all the nations, that is our God given priority as a church, Jesus came. The Bible says to seek and save the lost and we have the same task to seek and bring salvation to the law of the gospel.

Fulfilling what is known as the great commission.

No believer is excused from this calling. As Charles Spurgeon said if there be anything about which the Christian church cannot tolerate lukewarmness is the matter of sending the gospel to a dying world. That said, let me urge you to stay here on grace to you as John MacArthur shows you the necessary ingredients for effective evangelism. Today's lesson reaching the world can help prepare you for a gospel conversation with a coworker or a neighbor or a member of your family. All of this is practical stuff. So with that, here is John turning your Bible to Matthew chapter 28. This text is common to us familiarly known as the great commission.

Matthew chapter 28 versus 16 through 20 and I want us to revisit it. Perhaps view it with a fresh look. Beginning in verse 16 of Matthew 28 2011 disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated and when they saw him they worshiped him, but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up 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 the son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. And low I am with you always, even to the end of the age that amazing and clear and familiar portion of Scripture reaffirms to us the primary responsibility of Christians in the world.

I know that we enjoy Christian fellowship and it is rich and rewarding, but it is not our primary responsibility. I know that we are called to praise and worship and that too is rich and enriching. But that is not our primary responsibility.

I know we are called to learn the word of God to teach that we might understand better the Scripture, but that is good is it is as vital as it is, is not our primary responsibility. Our primary responsibility is summed up in one verb here in this passage. In verse 19 make disciples and then the breadth of it of all the nations, that is the primary reason the church is here.

If we were saved for fellowship, then we would be taken to heaven where fellowship is perfect. If we were saved for praise and worship we would be taken to heaven where praise and worship is unhindered in perfect if we were saved for the sake of teaching and training and knowledge and wisdom. We should be taken to heaven where knowledge is perfect. The reason we are left here is in order that we might make disciples of all the nations, that is our God-given priority as a church, Jesus came.

The Bible says to seek and save the lost and we have the same task to seek and bring salvation to the lost.

This is what it means to make disciples. The verb is masse to cenotaph it simply means to make up disciple to make a learner to make a follower of Jesus Christ. That's what we are to do. The Bible indicates we are commanded to do it. This is one of those commands. The Bible also indicates in acts 18 that we are equipped to do it after the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you shall be witnesses, having received the spirit at conversion.

We therefore have the resource for witnessing teaching and ministry and fellowship and worship and all of that is important but the primary goal is not to do something with the saints what to do something for the lost.

That is everyone's task, and we understand that we know that, but it's easy to lose sight of that we get so enamored and so involved in spiritual ministry and in Christian fellowship in Christian relationships, and so busy in church activities and service that we lose touch with the needs of lost people sometimes even our theology accommodates us a little bit and we assume that because the elect are the elect and the Lord will never close the kingdom down on earth until the elect are all in that we have less responsibility to be faithful to this commission. All of these things must be set aside.

We must find ourselves obedient to this command now. The question I simply direct to you and believe this text answers. Is this question what is necessary to make me effective in reaching the world what is necessary to make me effective in making disciples of all nations. What are the ingredients. What are the qualifications. What are the motivating forces. What are the dynamics in my life that will cause me to fulfill the Lord's command. There are five of them in this text, and I believe in great measure they sum up all of the necessary ingredients and qualifications for effective evangelism in the text they are explicit and implicit. One way or another. It seems to me that they appear here, and for our instruction. Five.

Keys to making disciples. Five. Keys that we must have if we are to fulfill this priority number one. Let's write down the word availability availability. I think everything starts at this particular point in this is somewhat implicit. If you'll note in verse 16, but the 11 disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated this point it doesn't take somebody who was necessarily deep in the Greek language to understand that when Jesus said meet me in a mountain in Galilee. Some people showed up. It also seems to me that that's where any kind of effective ministry starts.

It starts with showing up. It starts with being initially available. Somebody said the greatest ability is availability. There's a sense in which that is true because no matter what other ability you might have. If you're not available at the other ability is not of any consequence.

Everything starts with being there. Everything starts with showing up. So somewhere on a hillside in Galilee, a hillside, unknown to us, a large crowd of disciples gathered together with the 11 who are no longer the 12 because of the defection of Judas to be meeting with the Lord at prescribed time and place designated by him. The crowd was believers with all their weaknesses with all their questions with all their confusion with all their fear with all their bewilderment about how it was the Jesus wound up dying on a cross and now they are ready to have their first sight of Christ, for apart from the women in the disciples. Those in Galilee very likely had no occasion to have seen him before. This and so some of their confusion and questioning.

Will they pray and hope be resolved in this meeting and some open field and some secluded place far from the crowds of Jerusalem and the threat they gathered together to meet with the risen Christ. Let me just draw out of that the very obvious reality that nothing happens except to those who are available to have it happen when Isaiah chapter 6 verse eight said here at my send me he was reiterating the point of availability which is the starting point of any effective service to Christ. They were there. They wanted to see the living Christ. There was enough desire in their hearts to follow him to bring them there because they were there they were privileged with his presence, his promise and his great commission. They were little people and they submitted themselves to this designated time and place with the desire to be with Christ. There are some big people you know who think they're big with their own puny plans and their own agendas never bother to show up with the redeemed and consequently they miss the momentous events and settle for the trivia of human life. I suppose at some point it's fair to say that fulfilling the mission duty of your life to make disciples of other people begins with meeting the Lord at the appointed place in the word, in prayer and in the assembly of the redeemed, not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as some do much the more as you see the Day approaching. You're never going to have any kind of impact on the world unless you are willing to set aside that designated time and place to be in the presence of the living Christ with his people in his word, in communing prayer with.

I tend to think that many people never bother to go to the lost because they can even bother to get together with the saved. They never have much to say those are without Christ because they have very little to say to Christ himself.

You have to ask yourself about your availability because I am convinced that those people who are most effective in making disciples are doing that because there is an overflow of privileged communion with the living Christ. They choose to be in the word they choose to be in prayer they choose to be in the assembly of the redeemed, and out of that kind of fellowship with the presence of the living Christ comes impetus to carry out his cause there's a second feature that I think flows out of this text verses 17 and 18. Let's say the second word here that gives us a quality necessary ingredient for effective disciple making is the word worship. Worship it says in verse 17 and when they saw him they worshiped Prost to know it means they prostrated themselves and adoring worship, they worshiped him. That is the right response and I'm sure if you had been there if I had been there that day seeing the resurrected Christ would've been such an overwhelming experience that we also would have fallen on our faces prostrate and adoring wonder as we saw the vision of the resurrected Lord.

They worshiped him they were in all of them. They already loved him. They already trusted him.

They had already affirmed their praise to him and now it was consummate as they saw him in his resurrected glorified form, will you notice, please.

This is really consistent with Matthew's emphasis.

If you go back to the very beginning at the first chapter 2 of Matthew's gospel as he introduces the coming of Christ and his birth is very careful to point out that wise men came and worshiped him in here as he consummates his gospel is very concerned to point up again that he was worshiped back in chapter 28 verse nine he talked about the fact that even before this there were those who expressed worship to him as they took hold of his feet.

The one who came to be worshiped is worshiped.

He was to be worshiped. He was worshiped when he had accomplished redemption by the sacrifice of himself and appeared to his people. Would you notice, please, however, that at the end of verse 17 it says, but some were doubtful. Some doubted that somebody might say why did they had that.

Why does Matthew say that you don't have to say that.

Doesn't that plant the seed in somebody's mind was skeptical of Scripture that says II don't know if I can really believe that.

And if you think that's strange for me. Then realize that there were some people there that day. Who saw Christ supposedly after his resurrection, and they doubted to doesn't it seem an unnecessary addendum that might give some justification for someone's unbelief today why does that have to be said answers very simply because it was true. The Bible always has transparent honesty.

The biblical writer is never caught up in some human effort to convince people of the resurrection by contrived and selective reporting. The biblical writer is not into selective evidence gathering. They just record the facts, the truth and the truth is, some were doubtful. Not surprising, not surprising they were used to seeing resurrected beings. They had their doubts because that's part of fallenness. That's part of human sinful nature, and they had not heretofore seen the resurrected Christ.

They had heard that he had risen. Furthermore, this might seem a rather crass thing to say but it is true I would dare say that I might be little more than a fog this morning for many of you if you didn't have glasses. Your thought about that if you ever thought that up until the invention of glasses a great mass of the population saw fuzzy world and here you have probably 500 people on a hillside. Maybe the sun was bright, it usually is in that part of the world. Jesus was a little bit far off and I I'm not going to describe his glorified form to you but it must've had some kind of presence that was to 1° or another.

A bit unrealistic or unlike what they had been familiar with, and here they are trying to focus their unaided eyes on this somewhat distant figure and trying to focus their weak faith on the reality of the risen Christ. I don't believe it was wicked doubt which chooses to reject evidence. I don't believe it was foolish doubt, which chooses not to consider evidence.

I believe it was virtuous. Doubt the just needs more evidence and Jesus did an interesting thing. Verse 18 it says and Jesus approaching spoke with them is not interesting. Why do you think he did that. I think it was to give them more evidence. What did he say to Thomas in the upper room you want to know who I am. Do what see my scars. That's plenty of evidence Jesus approaching them.

The Greek Texas. They just weren't sure that it was really the Lord because I hadn't seen before. Only the 11 and the women had.

This is the first time for for them and this is not something that happens every day.

So Jesus came near, near to erase the doubt. Whatever it was about his resurrection glory. It didn't change the fact that he could be recognized by those who had seen him before his death, so they saw his beauty that unfading beauty that appearance so mild and yet so Almighty so entirely human, and yet divine, so mild and yet so powerful, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the conqueror of death and hell and yet the Lamb of God with the marks of the slaughter upon them. They saw him that I'm sure after he came near.

They bound themselves ashamed and join those who worshiped worship is to acknowledge deity to acknowledge Majesty to acknowledge sovereignty to acknowledge glory that is essential. I believe in the life of one who would be a disciple maker because I am convinced that it is only when you are consumed with love and adoring praise to Christ that you literally are controlled by that you do not evangelize in a vacuum. It comes out of a worshiping heart.

If I really love the Lord Jesus Christ with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Then his closet is my passion right what I love consumes me. But there are those people who are not worshiping as they should.

There worship is sin shallow there worship is in frequent sporadic. They say they love Christ, but it is not a cultivated deep intimate communing love that elicits an ongoing unending praise and worship from their heart and as a result, motivating them to do his work and a champion is causing to preach his message is well-nigh impossible because the truth of the matter is they are rather occupied with their own agenda to the one like John the Baptist says he must increase and I must decrease. Making disciples becomes the priority of life. Where's your heart if your heart is set on Christ and Christ is all, Christ is all his kingdom is all his causes all his purposes. All you live for.

In order to make disciples. Then you have to start with availability and you have to proceed to worship as 1/3 word, let's write this window. It flows out of the text submission. Submission. We could even use the word participation verse 18 when he did finally get next to them. He said all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. This is a far-reaching statement that just staggers my thoughts reaches beyond my ability to conceive but let me lease get in touch with when Matthew began this gospel. He introduced Jesus as King give his royal lineage and had a group of Oriental kingmakers acknowledge him as King.

It began with the fact that he was King and King means sovereign and now as he hands his gospel. It's the same thing all authority has been given to me in heaven and earth, which is another way to say he's King King over all kings sovereign over all sovereigns. He is in charge, absolutely in charge so we then are called to submit and to participate in his kingdom. Look at the word authority for just a moment exudes it. It could be translated permission.

It is sometimes translated privilege sometimes right. Sometimes power sometimes is your authority, but I think the simplest definition, is this complete freedom of action. Complete freedom of action. I think about everything about a long enough you'll see that that's a rather comprehensive definition, nothing causes action is completely free to closet himself. Nothing hinders his action is complete freedom of action. Nothing contributes to his action is complete freedom of action that is authority you act independently of any other person or influence. Now this particular authority is not authority like a great conqueror, gets 20 conquers a nation and on the basis of what he has done.

He has the authority. This is authority based innately on who he is not on what he is done in the truest purest sense he is God.

It is the authority that innately belongs to deity, but it is authority, though innately belonging to deity, which is been reaffirmed by what he has accomplished on the cross and through the resurrection.

Thus, as one who is the conquering hero and one who is innately God, he has complete freedom of action. He has freedom to do exactly what he wants when he wants how he wants with what he wants to whomever he wants. Would you please notice if that is not enough. It's is all authority, all authority, no exceptions. Total sovereign right to rule.

It has been given to him by God. It says has been given to me.

Ephesians 1 Philippians 2 Colossians 1 are just samples of Scriptures which indicate that God has given authority to Christ. The statement then is intended to establish who is in charge. He is King he is authority we submit to that authority. We participate in the unfolding of his kingly purpose is Lord he is sovereign authority over heaven and earth, and that means all of us.

This is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us. John is Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary.

He is currently looking at how to evangelize effectively how to communicate what it means to follow Jesus Christ.

The title of his lesson today from Matthew chapter 28 reaching the world you know John, we frequently point out that during this time of year there's a greater openness to biblical truth. There are people out there who are willing to hear about Christ to maybe in other seasons wouldn't be that open so were grateful to be looking at important subjects like the great commission, which was your focus today were also grateful for opportunities to help our listeners use their Christmas gift giving to make a spiritual difference in the lives of their loved ones.

Yeah, this is the one time people expect the gifts so you mother will give him something is going to transform their lives and I would just mention a few things. First of all, the book called one faithful life. Some of you already have one perfect life, which is the harmony of the Gospels and gives the full story of the life of Christ. One faithful life is the harmony of all that the New Testament has written about the life and letters of the apostle Paul said incredible look blending together the story of Paul from the book of acts with the letters that he wrote combining them into a single chronological narrative which is one faithful life. The life of Paul.

And there are some select notes from the study Bible that help you as you go through reading at 500 pages, but it's the life of Paul from Scripture great insights when you put everything together in chronological order. You really do see him for who he is and then secondly is read near the beginning of the new year, a reminder of drawing near. That's a daily devotional 365 devotions, one for every day the year and is unlike most devotionals, the touch on a different topic every day drawing near, takes you through entire passages of Scripture often just a verse or two in a day so drawing your break Scripture down provides practical application you will enjoy drawing near and then is always a mention for Christmas of the MacArthur study Bible. The new American Standard, the new King James of the ESV study Bible has 25,000 footnotes explaining the Scripture and again were still holding onto the 25% discount of any addition of the MacArthur study Bible. If you order by December 23. So place your order today yes friend, I want to make sure you heard that last part. All MacArthur study Bibles or 25% off the normal price and you can still get all of these items before Christmas. Our customer service team will help you find the right shipping option to pick up one faithful life drawing near, or the MacArthur study Bible. Contact us today. Call us toll-free at 855 grace you reach our customer service staff Monday through Friday 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM Pacific time again just call our toll-free number 855 grace given number of binding options to choose from with the MacArthur study Bible including premium goatskin and again right now. Every study Bible we sell is 25% off the normal price to make sure your order arrives before Christmas. Be sure to ask for second day shipping when you call today 855 grace or order online and again sure to choose second day shipping a web address is GT Y.Ward, and while you're at GT Y.Ward take advantage of the thousands of free resources available. You can read daily devotionals by John.

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You can read practical articles on the grace to you blog you also have free access to more than 3500 of John sermon, including those from his recent series, God's own defense of Scripture. All that is at our website. GT Y.org now for John MacArthur on Phil Johnson. Thanks for joining us today and be here tomorrow when John looks at how you can evangelize with boldness and clarity to another half hour unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to you