Craig A. Brittingham, Pastor
Hillside Baptist Church
April 28, 2024
“The Great Commission” (part 2) – Matthew 28:16-20
1A. “All Authority” was given to Jesus for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
2A. Jesus gave us the mission to make disciples of or from “All the Nations.”
1b. In the OT, God’s people were from the nation of Israel, with few exceptions, including Rahab, Ruth, and the Assyrians of Ninevah who repented at Jonah’s preaching.
2b. In fact, early in His ministry, Jesus sent his disciples to preach the gospel only to Jews (Mat.10:5-7).
3b. After His death and resurrection, Jesus commanded them/us to go into all the world and make disciples from every nation.
1c. This worldwide mission was foreshadowed by Jesus earlier (John 3:16, 12:20-32).
2c. The apostle John saw a vision of people from every nation gathered in heaven worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ (Rev.5:9-10).
4b. People become disciples through the preaching of the gospel (Acts 14:21-22).
5b. The church must “go” if it is to fulfill its mission.
1c. “Go” here has the force of a command.
2c. It does not mean “if you go,” “when you go,” or “as you are going” – it means “Go!”
3c. Those who become disciples (or “Christians” – Acts 11:26) must be baptized and taught.
3A. We must teach the disciples we make to observe “All the
things” Jesus commanded.
4A. Jesus promised to be with us “All the Days” as we
work to fulfill the mission till He comes.
Questions…
1. Besides the grammatical reason shared by pastor, why does “go” have the force of a command here in the context of Matthew 28?
2. What is the major difference between the mission of Matthew 10:5-7 and Matthew 28:18-20?
3. Given the teaching of Deuteronomy 7:6-7 and the fact Jesus first sent the disciples “only” to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Mat.10:5-7), how might Nicodemus have understood
John 3:16?
4. How did Jesus foreshadow the worldwide mission He would give His disciples after His resurrection (John 3:16, 12:20-32)?
5. Is making disciples a process? Or, should people be considered disciples of Jesus before they are baptized and taught to observe all that Jesus commanded?
6. When or how does a person become a disciple?
7. What should we do with people once they become disciples?
8. How might the vision John saw in Revelation 5:9-10 give us
hope as we work to fulfill the Great Commission?
