Reaching the World B

What are the necessary ingredients for effective evangelism. First of all to be available to be present. Secondly, to be filled with awe and wonder in the heart of worshiping love. Thirdly, to be submissive and eager to participate in the purposes of the brain being of all kings made up of the people you see in your neighborhood and your favorite restaurant in stores and schools really everywhere. No doubt many of those lost people are individuals you know friends, family members, maybe even the person who sat next to you in church last week on today's grace to you. John MacArthur looks closely at the responsibility you have. To proclaim Christ see what qualifies you for this life-saving role as John continues a practical message titled reaching the world and out to begin today's lesson.

Here's John MacArthur turn in your Bible to Matthew chapter 28. Beginning in verse 16 of Matthew 28 what the 11 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 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 are the necessary ingredients for effective evangelism. First of all to be available to be present. Secondly, to be filled with awe and wonder in the heart of worshiping love.

Thirdly, to be submissive and eager to participate in the purposes of the great King of all King.

It has to be that I live with an attitude that says the king to whom I submit is my Christ and no other but him. While there are many people who will admit to Christ as their Savior to deliver them from hell.

There are many who would admit to Christ as their advocate to plead their case before God seems to me there are fewer who would acknowledge him as their sovereign rule over them, and whose kingdom they have the privilege of participatory submission. Those are his terms. And that's where you begin you don't evangelize the world in a vacuum. You don't make disciples on a whim is the overflow of these three great spiritual attitude availability worship and submission.

Show me a willing worshiping humble heart. I'll show you an instrument God will use so many of us are caught in the inane trivia of the world, spending our time life talent, energy, money, resources on stuff that will burn and wondering why God is and use us to make disciples.

We have to back up and start with these attitudes. The first place to go for corrective is to your heart and check it out. You have a willing heart.

Are you available are you there listening to the voice of God communing with him. Hearing him speak through the spirit give a worshiping heart. You have a humble heart submitting to the privilege of sharing in his kingdom by Danforth were this to an essential element.

The word is obedience.

The word is obedience big word comprehensive word which will give a very brief treatment of verse 19 go therefore therefore it's a good place for that transition very good. It saying yes if you're available, and if you're worshipful and if you are submissive.

Therefore go and here we come directly in contact with obedience. We have a command in this verse the commanders make disciples.

The word go is not in the imperative is a participle. There are three participles here going baptizing and then one in verse 20 teaching participles modify the main verb. How do you make disciples by going baptizing teaching.

That's the simple structure going. He says that's very obvious to me how you gonna make disciples of all nations, unless you're going. The assumption is they're not coming you're going those three participles put us in touch with a very simple command to make disciples of all the nations and describe how it's to be done. It is interesting to compare this with Mark 16 where Mark records Jesus said, going to all the world and preach the gospel to all creation and also with Luke 2447 that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations. Sources make disciples that involves going that involves preaching the gospel, which involves the forgiveness of sin, followed by baptism, followed by teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you very have the sum of it all, but it starts with going or literally having gone the assumption that you're not going to do this until you have gone somewhere where it needs to be done right. It all starts with going but I want to focus on that second thought of baptizing for you.

By the way, going maybe across the campus across the street across the state, across the country or across the ocean. Let's talk about that baptizing term in Mark's gospel to preach the gospel in Luke's gospel. It said preach forgiveness of sins here. All it says is make disciples by going in baptizing say words the gospel here. While the assumption is that you know that that word baptizing is loaded with gospel preaching because to be baptized is to be visibly carrying out a symbol which illustrates the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Baptism was simply a public sign a public confession that a person had identified himself in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It assumes, then the preaching of the gospel, the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ in all that was involved in its significance is inherent in the very visual drama, baptism that important ordinance of immersing a person in water dunking them in water is a way for a person who put their faith in Christ. The way to demonstrate their faith and their union with Christ, Peter Pridgen asked Teresa repent and be baptized, while writing a thesis is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, a song about water baptism. Baptism became inseparable reality from salvation. If a person was converted to Jesus Christ, they were baptized, and if a person wasn't willing to be baptized. There was reason to assume that their conversion was not genuine. Every believer is to be baptized in every believer is to call others to be baptized. Seems to me to be a missing ingredient in our evangelism today.

It seems to me that many people are going, but not all the foregoing are baptizing is able. It's only important that you believe for salvation. Yes, salvation is a matter of faith, not water baptism by water baptism is the sign of true faith because faith without works is what dad and the very first work that is visible in public is that of baptism. Baptism became so inseparable from leading people to the knowledge of Jesus Christ that when you said baptism you were referring to conversion when he says, baptizing them, he means leading them to the knowledge of Jesus Christ or the preaching of the gospel so that they identify with Christ in his death, burial, resurrection, and commit themselves to confess him as Lord. That's all inherent in baptizing, it became synonymous with salvation and utterly inseparable.

Sad to say that we don't emphasize that as we ought to calling people to salvation is calling them to baptism in water.

That's why you need to be baptized. If you are claiming to be a Christian and have never been baptized, there is reason to be suspicious of the reality of your claim unless you have never heard this before, when we go out to preach Christ we should call people to be baptized to make that public identification of their union with Christ confessing Jesus as Lord, with her mouth and identifying with him outwardly there unwilling to take that stand and pay that price. There's reason to assume there is is less than a saving faith, one who refuses baptism is likely not exercising true faith, calling people to salvation is the issue. Baptism is the identifying mark so I might say well why might get embarrassed if I were baptized. Well if your personal embarrassment stands between you and baptism you got a problem. I don't know what level of faith we could assign that to I'm not saying that if you not been baptized.

You're not a Christian. I'm saying there is reason to suspect that what's holding you back to me was, it was difficult. Let me read your letter I got Mark is a quadriplegic who lives in a ward in a hospital and will live there. The rest of his life and is hooked to a respirator is also blind and he said heard your tapes and I know that if I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ my sins would be forgiven, but I don't know what it means to believe that so I preached one Sunday morning a sermon on what it means to believe in the night got the tape and send it to him. He wrote me back and said he heard your tape.

I now know what it is to believe, and I I believe and I'm saved I got another letter from the pastor of a local church that's been ministering to him in this letter is very interesting. Goes like this. If you weeks ago. Now Mark volunteered to me that he was thinking about asking for baptism. He admitted he still had some doubts, but queried, is it all right to be baptized. If you just want to be obedient to the Lord, that desire to be obedient to the Lord became a deep conviction in checking with the doctor about the possibilities.

The doctor observed that Mark could not be dumped without some risk. His connection to his breathing machine is made through a sleeve that fits a little loosely in his throat through his Adam's apple, Mark balked at first, but as he prayed he decided he would accept the risk if he could be baptized in the normal way parenthesis I had explained Plan B to him, which would have been the old Mennonite way of pouring I've never done it this way. But whatever if there was no other way and parenthesis on the day we met at the hospital swimming pool with three others who wanted to be baptized in most of the foam from our church. Mark's family who don't attend services anywhere were also there because Mark can't speak very loudly and not at all without the breathing machine. One of the fellows from the church brought a PA system along.

We took Mark's testimony from his wheelchair was very simple but sweet. He thank the Lord for forgiving him of his sins and declared that he wants to follow the Lord so we can serve him with his life. The actual baptism was quite an ordeal. The doctor Roman Catholic suggested we let market of the water on a sheet because of Mark's long-term illness is bones are very brittle. One of his legs fractured earlier this year when he was simply lifted into his bath. The fellows who visit him in one of the elders market Myers were in the water to help him. The doctor and Mark's father lifted Mark out of his chair and laid him at the waters edge. Then the doctor unhooked Mark's breathing machine.

Two of the fellows in the water gripped one side of the sheet and the doctor and Mark's dad handed the other side of the sheet to the two others who helped in the water.

I had to use one hand to block off the open air tube in his throat and use the other to hold his nose and push them under with some quick and considerable effort because his limp body floats. Naturally, we got them under and we reversed the process and the doctor quickly hooked up the machine again made none of its warning signals. If water had gotten into his lungs. It would've since it immediately and Mark would've been hustle offer medical emergency, we all breathe a sigh of relief and thanks whole procedure reminded us of the paralytic who was Lord through the hole in the roof on a blanket.

This time however the man on the she didn't have to rely on the faith of his friends. He had his own testimony to give was amazing that the hospital was so cooperative. They could have been very difficult if they had wanted to be the day I went to see them about it. I was referred to a deputy instead of the headman. This deputy just happened to be a Baptist has Baptist and very strategic places and we received the help we had hoped for. Thanks so much for your support letters, prayers and encouragement. Just one more thing Mark wanted me to share these things with you. He is personally very grateful for your service to him to the tapes and the books next year. He will begin to study theology by correspondence and hopes to add more and more to his faith. Wonderful story about wanting to be baptized so much that you'd risk your life to be baptized. That's the evidence that we should show in our own faith. We have been called by God to make disciples. It involves going. It involves baptizing. We need to be baptized or we can't proclaim it and we need to call others to be baptized. The third term in the last one is teaching in verse 20 making disciples involves teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, making a disciple is an end when they believe it doesn't even end when there baptized. It ends at the end you got a task at hand and that is to teach them to observe all things I have commanded you. They are to be instructed now listen to this making disciples involves going preaching the gospel, including the forgiveness of sin, calling for saving faith, baptism, and then it involves instructing them to a life long obedience, how people can extract that out of the ministry of the church in the ministry of evangelization. I do not know. We are calling people to an overt public identification with Jesus Christ and a life long obedience to his commands. That is what we are calling them to.

Why else would you become them out. They taste a learner of Christ. If it were not to learn his commands that you might imply that you might apply them to your life. There is no discipleship apart from personal faith. There's no discipleship apart from a willingness to be taught the commandments of Christ in order that you might obey his Lordship in your life. That's how we are evangelists and we are to be obedient to this pattern where to go to those who do not know where to call them to the public confession with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and identification with Jesus Christ and his death, burial and resurrection, and we are to call them that in coming to Christ they are submitting to a lifelong obedience to his commands. Let's not cheat on what is the message we are obediently to proclaim we start with availability, worship submission and obedience. We make disciples.

The way the Lord said to do it physically and finally the last word write down the word power. Power such a noble responsibility. Such an eternal task demand something beyond our own resources and so at the end of verse 20, this great promise and low behold exclamation I am with you always, even to the end of the age are better not to the termination of something, but to the consummation of everything.

I'm with you to the second coming is what he has in mind.

That's the power that's the power sublime encouragement you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit has come upon you. He is with you always, in the form of his indwelling holy spirit. What a great trip. Yes the child born was Emmanuel, God with us and he is with us. It is not by human might not by human strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord, and until the consummation, not just the cessation of something but the ultimate consummation of everything until Jesus comes. He is our power. He is our resort those of the words beloved that lie behind a life of effective evangelization, availability, worship, submission, obedience and power when those are part and parcel of your life you will be effective for God.

David said to the people in first Chronicles 29 five. He said who is willing to consecrate a service this day the Lord that's the question who is willing to consecrate his service this day to the Lord who is willing to be available to the Lord's presence.

Worship the Lord's person to submit to the Lord's authority to obey the Lord's plan to be empowered by the Lord's might and resource are you. It means stripping your life down to the priorities years ago I read story by Estee Gordon who was describing a group of men who were preparing to climb Mont Blanc in the Swiss Alps leaving before the climate French guide outlined the prerequisite for success. He said you will only reach the top.

By setting aside all the unnecessary accessories and carrying only bare essentials. Well the next day when they started out for the climb. A young Englishman you might know it disagreed and proceeded along the following morning, not only with climbing equipment, but a brightly colored blanket large pieces of cheese, a bottle of wine bars of chocolate and a bunch of camera equipment under the direction of the guide, the group set off behind the Englishman along the way. The group found first is bright blanket that is cameras than his cheese than his wine and that finally last, which was most precious to him is chocolate some of you can identify with a finally they discovered them at the top with nothing in Estee Gordon made the application to the Christian life. There are people on the way to the top, drop the nonessentials there other people when they find they can't make it to the top without their stuff pitched their tent in the plain and let the top go then Estee Gordon said in the plain is very full of tense, the true church is a plane full of tense people decided to keep the stuff in Park a long way from the top down.

Prayer Lord, it would be a great testimony for us. If people who were following us found the trail to the top strewn with all the stuff that we had gladly dropped and wanting to fulfill this high calling. Let us pitch our tent in the plain be content to live with the stuff never reached the top up was to drop the stuff made the people who know us see a trail of as we pursue the great priority of making disciples going to the people. We can go to and equipping others to go preaching the gospel to the people we can preach it to and equipping others to preach and calling to baptism those who believe calling others to do the same, and then teaching and teaching them to observe all things that you commanded. We want to fulfill the reason for our existence here by making disciples. Lord give us that opportunity because were available because were here because were submissive, as well as being worshipful isn't just we are and all of you.

So we praise it is that we are in all of you and so we submit that help us to be obedient to the plan as you've outlined for proclamation trust in your power to bring it to pass. We know that we can only reach the world one at a time.

Bring us one this week that we can reach the sake of your dear son. We pray all the same's you been listening to John MacArthur here on grace to you.

John is Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary. His message today showed you the key ingredients. The preparation that you need for evangelism. It's titled reaching the world. John, as we think about proclaiming the gospel and taking advantage of the receptiveness to biblical truth that tends to exist at Christmas time. What suggestions would you have for listeners who want to take advantage of this season of openness, how can they make strategic use of the Christmas season for sharing the gospel in all I think there is a myriad of ways to introduce that kind of conversation. A simple way is to ask a question to say to someone if you want to find an opening for the gospel. This is Christmas season. What you think is important about Christmas you know why we as Christians celebrate Christmas. Obviously you have basically joined the world and stopping everything to celebrate this. Do you know why I think I think starting with that question right, rather than sort of attacking people on the front end do. Do you believe in Christ. I think it's helpful to hear them articulated so that in their own words. They're essentially admitting that they don't understand what it's about right.

So II think you want to set the thing up by making them explain where they are in relation to the person of Jesus Christ and then you know the fact that you said that in you you you recognize Christ in you, recognize that this is the celebration of his birth did you do you understand why he came. Do you understand the point and the purpose of a virgin born child, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

So II think I always think it helps if you can have them articulate where they are then kind of jumping at that point because then it feels a little bit more like your answering questions rather than sort of firing at them. I think you can generate a conversation that can be very productive if you let them explain to you what they think about Christmas and that opens the conversation so that's how I would start that conversation.

In most cases. Good idea. Thank you, John, and friend. As a tool to help explain the significance of Christ's birth to others. Let me suggest John's book God's gift of Christmas, there's still time to get it to a friend before December 25. Just contact us today to order online, go to Jide TY.org and be sure to choose the second day shipping option to ensure delivery before Christmas, or you can place your order by phone, call us at 855 grace our staff is here to help you Monday through Friday 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM Pacific time and they will make sure that you get the right shipping option. Our phone number again 855 grace and thanks for remembering how important this time of year is for us financially. Listeners support these last few weeks will help us start 2022 on a strong financial footing, enabling us to reach across the globe with God's truth and connect hungry listeners with the biblical truth. They crave express your support when writing to Grace to you. Box 4000 panorama city, CA 91412 or you can call us at 855 grace or go to Jide TY.org now for John MacArthur. I'm Phil Johnson reminding you to watch grace to you television this Sunday and then be here next week when John shows you how to worship Jesus as he deserves. On Christmas and every day is launching a study titled the Jesus of Christmas with another half hour of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on Mondays, grace to