April 26, 2016
BY THE POWER VESTED IN ME, YOU MAY NOW MAKE DISCIPLES
Matthew 28:16–20
Ryan Wall
Central Truth
In Jesus' last words, He commissions His disciples to teach and observe everything He commanded. He asks us to be part of this daunting task, but we can find rest in His promise to be with us along the way.
Key Verse | Matthew 28:20
". . . teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)
Matthew 28:16–20
The Great Commission
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in 1 28:19 Or into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Dive Deeper | Matthew 28:16–20
"If you ain't fishing, you ain't trying." Those words were spoken by my friend, Bill Roberson, in 2011. He proceeded to talk about Matthew 4:19, when Jesus calls His first disciples to follow Him. Until that point, I had been a big fan of Jesus, but I wasn't following Him. I understood the saving grace described in Ephesians 2:8-9 at a young age, but no one ever shared the next verse with me. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
This conversation rocked my world. I have heard it said, "The greatest two days in your life are the day you were born, and the day you find out why." At that time in my life, I found out the "why," and life started to come into sharp focus.
But it was scary to think of God using me. My first thought involved a crazy evangelist, holding street signs, protesting something. When I realized that it wasn't just evangelism, but also discipling people, I got nervous again. I grew up in a church that didn't teach the Bible. What was I supposed to teach others? I remembered reading Matthew 28:20 and feeling overwhelmed at "all that I have commanded you."
Then, I remembered a simple lesson from Sunday School as a child: Matthew 22:36-40. "'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?' And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.'"
Sometimes it feels hypocritical that I am teaching because I miss the mark on both commandments. But the power and fellowship of the Holy Spirit, through constant confession (James 5:16, 1 John 1:9), has given me freedom to engage in discipling others. God gave me the confidence to go, teach folks, and observe the basics — love God and love people.
Time to go fishin'!
Discussion Questions
1. Do you have a good grasp on what God has instructed you to do?
2. Are you trying to obey Christ on your own, or do you realize God is with you? It can be exhausting trying to do God's work without God.
3. Are you helping people both come to know Christ and learn how to live for Him daily? Evangelism is easier for me because it is simply engaging in conversation. Discipleship is messy, because you are broken and so is the person you are leading. Even so, spend time with others, teach them what you know, and spur them on to give their lives fully to the Lord.
4. Are you praying for wisdom about how to teach, rebuke, correct, or train someone (2 Timothy 3:16)? Do you pray for others to be more transformed into the image of Christ?