And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
-Matthew 28:18-20
I want to sum up what we have already talked about in this three part teaching. First, we discussed what it means to fulfill the Great Commission laid out for us in Matthew 28:18-20. We concluded that making disciples consist of evangelizing all the nations and training them to live like Christ. Secondly, we explained that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth. This brings out three important truths in fulfilling the Great Commission. Truth #1 is that there are no such things as "closed doors" into other countries or people groups because he is the Lord of lords. Truth #2 is that Christ's plan to purchase His bride from every tribe, tongue, and nation is going to be accomplished no matter what any person tries to do to stop it. Truth #3 is that since Christ is the one with all authority that means we don't have to have all authority. As Christians we celebrate that Christ has all authority and that we don't! If we had all authority that would be a really bad thing and His plans would not be accomplished. Now we are transitioning to the final part of this series, "Christ is always with us!".
The last words that we see in this text of Jesus are at the end of verse 20, which states, "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." What a powerful truth that our Lord gives us here! He is always with us! Every second of everyday he never leaves and he will continue to do this throughout all of eternity! This simple yet profound truth should create in us a fervency and boldness to give our lives to the mission of God.
1. Who is "I"? He is Jesus Christ! Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation (Colossians 1:15). He is the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of His nature, he upholds the universe by the word of his power. (Hebrews 1:3 ) By him and for him all things exist (Colossians 1:16). The King of kings and Lord of lords is with me, he cares for me, loves me, even gave up his life for me. I have nothing to fear in fulfilling the Great Commission if he is with me.
-Matthew 28:18-20
I want to sum up what we have already talked about in this three part teaching. First, we discussed what it means to fulfill the Great Commission laid out for us in Matthew 28:18-20. We concluded that making disciples consist of evangelizing all the nations and training them to live like Christ. Secondly, we explained that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth. This brings out three important truths in fulfilling the Great Commission. Truth #1 is that there are no such things as "closed doors" into other countries or people groups because he is the Lord of lords. Truth #2 is that Christ's plan to purchase His bride from every tribe, tongue, and nation is going to be accomplished no matter what any person tries to do to stop it. Truth #3 is that since Christ is the one with all authority that means we don't have to have all authority. As Christians we celebrate that Christ has all authority and that we don't! If we had all authority that would be a really bad thing and His plans would not be accomplished. Now we are transitioning to the final part of this series, "Christ is always with us!".
The last words that we see in this text of Jesus are at the end of verse 20, which states, "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." What a powerful truth that our Lord gives us here! He is always with us! Every second of everyday he never leaves and he will continue to do this throughout all of eternity! This simple yet profound truth should create in us a fervency and boldness to give our lives to the mission of God.
"I am with you always."
I want to sum up this statement in the following three ways: One, who is "I"? Two, he is with us. Three, How long is always.
1. Who is "I"? He is Jesus Christ! Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation (Colossians 1:15). He is the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of His nature, he upholds the universe by the word of his power. (Hebrews 1:3 ) By him and for him all things exist (Colossians 1:16). The King of kings and Lord of lords is with me, he cares for me, loves me, even gave up his life for me. I have nothing to fear in fulfilling the Great Commission if he is with me.
2. He is with us. Jesus is with us. This implies that he is NOT against but he is for me. This statement in the text doesn't mean that he is with us so he can slap us every time we make a mistake, but it means he is with us to guide us and aid us in all of our gospel endeavors! Whether you are going into the work place or the African plains today understand that Jesus is with you. Don't only understand it but preach it to yourself, sing about it, or whatever else you can do to press it into your heart and mind that he is there!
3. How long is always? Now any second grade student can figure out the answer to this question. I am simply asking this question as a reminder of just how long "always" is. At my very worst Christ died for me to redeem me for his own possession, not at my very best (Romans 5:8). So when we are at our lowest points and our highest points Christ is still there for us. He will always be there for his bride throughout all eternity. So even when we don't feel like Christ is there we should have unwavering confidence that he is there and this confidence should lead to boldness in evangelism.
In conclusion, I want the truths of Matthew 28:18-20 to stir you to action. My plea to you is to meditate on the Word of God and then Go! There is a dying world outside of your front door and all across the nations and you have the truth that Christ has paid the price for his sheep. Go tell the sheep with passion that they are redeemed by his blood and they will hear his voice because his sheep know his voice (John 10:3-4). Don't feel inadequate for this impossible task because with God, anything is possible! Be faithful to this commission and watch God do amazing things in the lives of lost sinners.
In Christ,
Erik Ripley
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