The Great Commission

Well, good evening, everyone. The last time I preached in this church, I preached to one person, so this is a huge advance.

So Gary gets full credit for listening in person to that sermon over the summer, but it's a great privilege to be with you tonight.

We heard the song, How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds, and it reminds me of a story told of John Newton.

John Newton exercised a long ministry in the city of London, and John Newton preached until his early 80s.

And at that particular point, his sight had failed, his memory had gone, and when he preached, he would have an assistant in the pulpit with him to point at the manuscript as to where he should continue to read.

And at one point, Newton said the phrase, Jesus Christ is precious.

He paused.

Newton then said again, Jesus Christ is precious.

His servant to his left said, Mr. Newton, you've said that again.

He said, I know I said it again, and I'll say it a third time.

Jesus Christ is precious.

Now let us sing how sweet the name of Jesus sounds, a hymn that he himself had written many years earlier.

And as we commence our time together, I'd like us to remind ourselves of how precious Jesus is to us.

Because if we understand how precious he is, if we value him, if we appreciate him, if we have recognized who he is and what he has done,

when we come to the various commands of Scripture, they will be joyful commands, not burdens.

They will be a pleasure and not a trial.

Because this evening, Graham has asked me if I would speak to you on the text at the very end of Matthew's Gospel,

Matthew 28 and verses, well, I'll read verses 16 to 20.

But before I read that passage, let me just remind you of a statement that I heard many years ago.

When I was going to church, not yet a Christian, I would go to Buclue Free Church in the morning,

which is just across the meadows from here, and I would go to Holy Root Abbey at night,

which was along London Road.

And the minister there was James Phillip.

He exercised a very long ministry in Edinburgh.

And one thing that Mr. Phillip often said, he said,

the imperatives of the faith are based on the indicatives of grace.

So imperatives are commands.

But indicatives are statements.

And if we understand the statements of faith, of grace,

what we believe, that Jesus Christ died, that he was buried, that he rose on the third day,

and that he is therefore to be proclaimed to all the nations.

So the foundations are not how well we keep the commands of God,

but the foundations are what God has done for us.

And if we recognize what God has done for us, we will then naturally want to tell others,

share this good news.

So this command at the very end of the gospel comes in the light of the death of Jesus,

the burial of Jesus, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

So that is our foundation, what Jesus has done, who he is, and what we now enjoy as his people.

Matthew 28 at verse 16.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.

But when they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted.

Then Jesus came to them and said,

We had two readings earlier.

We had that remarkable reading from Isaiah chapter 45, which contains verse 22,

Isaiah 45 · chapter mention

Look unto me, and be ye saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else.

We had the parable of the great banquet from Luke, which tells us that all is now ready,

and that the multitude is to be invited to this table, to this table of blessing,

to this overflowing table of bounty.

So there you have these two pictures of a worldwide invitation, of a worldwide celebration,

in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, that there is something that God has done

that relates to every man, woman, and child, every nation, every tribe, every tongue.

So it's not surprising, therefore, when Jesus leaves this earth,

that he leaves us his people with this command,

that we are to go and tell this world that they are invited,

that they are welcome, that there is a banquet that is prepared,

that there is an invitation that is set out,

and that we, like the servants in that parable,

we are to follow the master's commands,

to go wherever, to go wherever he sends us,

and to tell that the invitation is out,

to the highways, to the hedges,

you know, to the lame, to the blind,

to whoever we meet,

here, and to the ends of the earth.

I just want to introduce you to a famous character from history.

I'm a student of history,

that's why I came here as it was many years ago.

I wanted to study the history of Scotland,

and it's taken me so long, I've just decided to stay.

There was a man called Robert Morrison.

Morrison was half English and half Scottish,

he had a Scottish name,

and he grew up in Northumberland,

and he felt a profound call to go to China.

So, now, let me just put you in context here.

At this particular stage, William Carey had already gone to India,

that was a first,

but no Protestant missionary had ever gone to China.

Just didn't happen.

There were no British ships that would carry a missionary to China.

You see, the trade with China was so valuable,

the last thing you would want is Christians to get in the way of making money.

You know, opium, for example, was a great way of making money.

You don't want Christians to come into the equation,

and the last thing that you would want, of course,

would be Chinese people to become Christians.

That would really spoil a good business venture.

But Morrison had this sense of call,

and he was undiminished.

So, instead of, he couldn't travel from Britain to China,

but he could travel to the United States,

and he could travel from the United States to China.

And when he bought his ticket and explained what he was going to do,

the booking agent asked him this.

He said,

Do you really expect to make an impression on the idolatry of the great Chinese empire?

To which he replied,

No, sir, but I expect God will.

So here was a man who had faith,

and he said he prayed a prayer,

and this is,

I would caution you against the prayers that you pray,

because you need to be very careful about the prayers that you pray,

because if you pray certain prayers,

watch out for the way in which they might be answered.

He prayed,

God, send me to that part of the mission field,

where the difficulties are the greatest,

and to all human appearances the most insurmountable.

God answered that prayer,

sent Robert Morrison to Canton, China.

We know it as Guangzhou.

It's one of the coastal cities right near Hong Kong in southern China.

Now, at this point,

no Protestant missionary had ever been sent to China,

and Morrison goes and spends 27 years in China.

And you might think,

Wow, that's a long time to go.

He taught himself Chinese.

He wrote a Chinese-English dictionary,

a six-volume Chinese-English dictionary.

He translated the Bible into Chinese.

But 27 years,

he saw only 10 converts.

And you might think,

at the end of 27 years,

not too much to show for it.

Not too much fruit.

Not too much blessing.

We'll come back to Morrison in a moment.

But there was a man who heard the call and went.

He heard the Great Commission

and recognized it for what it was,

a command.

And you see,

when we read the Bible,

we need to read the Bible

and understand what is being said to us.

If there's a statement,

we need to believe it.

If there's a promise,

we need to cherish it.

But if there's a command,

we need to obey it.

And here we have an impossible command.

But notice that the impossible command

comes in a greater context.

Because this impossible command

to go and make disciples of all nations

comes within the greater impossibility

of the early part of chapter 28 of Matthew.

After Sabbath at dawn on the first day of the week,

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary

went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake.

For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven

and going to the tomb,

rolled back the stone and sat on it.

His appearance was like lightning

and his clothes were white as snow.

The guards were so afraid of him,

they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women,

And do not be afraid,

for I know that you are looking for Jesus

who was crucified.

He is not here.

He has risen,

just as he said.

So in order to appreciate the impossible command,

let us first appreciate the impossible event.

That Jesus Christ died,

he was buried,

and on the third day of the week,

he rose from the dead.

Now, I'm not a medical doctor,

but dead people have a tendency to stay dead.

Dead people have a tendency to stay silent.

But Jesus rose from the dead,

and the risen living Jesus is now speaking.

Dead people tended to stay dead 2,000 years ago.

It's not a modern phenomenon.

It tended to occur that way,

that when people died, they were buried.

That was the end of the story.

But in Jesus' case,

in each of the gospel accounts,

Matthew 27, the crucifixion,

is followed by Matthew 28.

Mark 15, the crucifixion,

is followed by Mark 16.

Luke 23, crucifixion,

is followed by Luke 24.

And John chapter 19

John 19 · chapter mention

is followed by John chapter 20 and 21.

John 20 · chapter mention

Jesus died,

and yet there is another chapter.

That's impossible.

And yet God delights in doing the impossible.

And that's our indicative.

Jesus Christ is alive.

Jesus Christ is risen.

And the risen living Jesus speaks.

And he speaks with all power,

and he speaks with all authority.

So the impossible event

is the foundation for this impossible command.

And let's look more closely

exactly at what Jesus is saying here.

Because it really comes down

to three different statements.

We have this impossible command,

which we'll call the Great Commission,

but it's comprised of three

different propositional statements.

We have a great claim,

we have a great command,

and we have a great companion.

Verse 18, the great claim.

All authority in heaven

and on earth has been given to me.

The Bible makes quite clear

that Jesus is the one

through whom all things are created.

Jesus is the one

through whom all things are sustained.

Jesus is the redeemer of mankind,

and it will ultimately redeem all things.

And he therefore can say

with honesty and with integrity

that all power,

all authority rests with him.

So when he gives a command,

he has the resources

to carry that command out.

When he commissions,

he has the resources

to make certain

that those who are commissioned

are equipped, enabled.

There's never a time

where Jesus makes a command

where he doesn't accompany

the command with the resources.

That indeed would be

completely impossible.

But Jesus has all power.

Jesus has all authority.

He's the king of kings.

He's the lord of lords.

And we know who he is.

And we know what he has done.

So the work of the gospel

has been done.

All that is left to us

is to say and to tell

and to show.

So the great claim,

and then that's followed

by the great command.

Therefore, go.

And that connection word,

therefore.

We go because of who he is.

We go because of what he has done.

We go because of the authority

that has been invested in him.

And therefore, he can tell us

to go forth in his name.

But notice the scope.

Go and make disciples

of all the nations.

Not some, not most.

Not those that are near at hand.

Not those that are inclined

to the message.

But all peoples.

All nations.

All tribes.

All tongues.

That we are to go

and not make converts.

But this word disciple

is a much bigger word

than a convert.

We're not just trying

to persuade people

to think certain things

or to accept certain propositions.

But we want to see followers

of Jesus

in every land,

in every nation.

We want to see men and women

and young and old.

We want to see them

consecrated to Christ.

Trusting in him.

Believing in him.

And walking in his footsteps.

That's what we are.

If you're a Christian here tonight,

you're a disciple.

He's the teacher.

You're the learner.

He's the king.

You're the subject.

He is the one

who has offered sacrifice

on your behalf

so that you can be made pure.

You can be made clean.

He's in charge.

He's in control.

So we make disciples

of all the nations.

And you think,

Jesus, don't you realize

who you're talking to?

Don't you realize

that you're talking

to the disciples?

These are the people

that are slow to understand.

These are the people

that are so inconsistent.

in their Christian witness.

They get it wrong so often.

They stumble so regularly.

And doesn't Jesus realize

what we are like?

We're not the wise.

We're not the strong.

We're not the consistent.

Is he indeed entrusting

the evangelism of the world

into the hands of us,

his people?

Because you would think,

well, he's placing it

in very unsteady hands.

He's placing it

on a very insecure footing.

Or is he doing something

that he knows

what he's doing?

Does he actually know

what he's doing?

Because, you see,

when he uses instruments

like us,

when he uses weak instruments

to accomplish strong purpose,

it becomes obvious

that it's not about us.

It must be about the one

that we are speaking of.

When he uses foolish instruments

like we so often are

to accomplish his all-wise plans,

it must be his wisdom.

And when he can take

a small group of people,

11 disciples at that particular time,

and when they can turn

the world upside down,

when they can transform

the existing Roman Empire,

when they can bring the gospel

to the very heart

of the empire in Rome,

and from Rome to everywhere.

And we see today

that throughout the world today,

the 21st century

is the century

that has witnessed

the greatest advance

of the Christian gospel.

Today, there are more people

in the world

who are Christians

than ever at any point

in the past.

There's also greater levels

of persecution

in the 21st century

than at any point

in the past.

The 20th century

was the most dangerous century

to be a Christian.

That will be eclipsed

by the 21st century.

The 20th century

was the greatest century

of advance

in the Christian gospel.

That will, too,

be eclipsed

in this,

the 20th, 21st century.

So the great claim

that he has all authority

in heaven and on earth,

this great command

where he says,

go and make disciples

of all nations,

baptizing them

in the name

of the Father,

the Son,

and the Holy Spirit.

And this word name

is so important

because whenever the Bible

speaks of the name of God,

what is included there

is everything.

When we speak of his name,

we speak of his authority,

we speak of his dignity,

we speak of his honor,

we speak of his character,

we speak of his nature.

All of this is tied up

in his name.

That's why the commandments

are so clear

that we are not to misuse

the name of God.

We are not to disrespect God

or disrespect his name.

Why?

Because his name

encapsulates his nature

and his character.

So the name of the Father,

Son,

and Holy Spirit

is a powerful name.

You see,

when the name of God

goes forth,

watch out.

Watch out

because people

that previously

were hostile

might come to find themselves

embracing this gospel.

Those who previously

may have been indifferent

may find their hearts

strangely warmed

to believe in this message.

it doesn't seem to make sense,

does it?

How is it possible

that even in that first century

that this message

would even go beyond

the walls of Jerusalem,

let alone beyond

the confines of Judea,

let alone into Samaria,

the neighboring district?

But how could it possibly

get into Europe?

How could it possibly

reach the Gentiles

who know nothing

about the Old Testament?

And yet,

here we are,

21st century,

Brunsfield,

Edinburgh.

How is it possible

that we've come to this point?

How is it possible

that the gospel

still continues

to change hearts

and change lives?

Maybe that comes

to our final point

in the Great Commission,

namely the Great Companion.

Because not only

do we have a claim

that Jesus makes,

not only do we have

a command that Jesus gives,

but he says that

he will accompany us

on this journey.

That when we go,

we never go alone.

He always goes with us.

But I think, sadly,

the opposite

can also be the case.

If we don't go,

if we don't obey,

then we're left

on our own.

We're left

on our own devices,

we're left

on our own resources,

we're left

with our own wisdom,

because if we obey

this command,

he promises to be with us.

But if we disregard

or disobey this command,

we cannot take for granted

that he will be with us,

guiding us,

leading us,

protecting us.

So the claim,

the command,

and the companion,

powerful and transformative.

But I'd like to notice

the,

and this is taking us

to the very end

of the Bible,

is if we have

the impossible event,

the impossible command,

we have the impossible

fulfillment.

You see, John,

if you think of the book

of Revelation

as a curtain

that is drawn back,

just briefly,

the curtain is drawn back

and you get a sight

into what's behind

or into what's ahead.

And John the Apostle

is given encouragement

because the people of God

are experiencing persecution.

The curtain is pulled back

in Revelation 7

and verse 9.

After this I looked

and there before me

was a great multitude

that no one could count.

A great multitude.

You think of the great banquet.

You think of the great invitation

in Isaiah 45, 22.

Look unto me

and be ye saved

all the ends of the earth

for I am God

and there is none.

And now John sees

a multitude.

But where does this multitude

come from?

Oh, well, it comes

from every nation,

every tribe,

every people,

and every language.

Now where are they gathered?

They're gathered

in front of the throne.

And what are they doing?

They are gathering there,

celebrating and rejoicing

that salvation belongs

to our God

who sits on the throne

and to the Lamb.

You see,

there is an impossible conclusion

or an impossible fulfillment

that God has this command

that he gives to his church

and he pulls back the curtain

and says,

this is what it's going

to look like.

This is what it's going

to look like

when all the nations

are gathered,

when all the tribes

are gathered,

when all the tongues

are represented.

They will be gathered

together in heaven

worshiping the Lamb.

Why?

Because the people of God

have taken this command

seriously.

They have gone

and they have told.

Let me give you

a bit of the setting

that we find ourselves

in in the 21st century.

Statistics tell us

that every year

in Scotland,

120 churches

shut their doors.

In 1966,

the year that I was born,

the Church of Scotland

had a membership

of 1.2 million people.

That membership

has dropped

up to 325,000

in the year 2018.

That just gives you

an idea

that the Christian cause

seems to be receding

in Scotland.

So when we say

to go,

that's not just

to go to the ends

of the earth,

but that's to go

to your corner,

your street corner,

to your neighborhood,

to your family,

to your friends,

to your colleagues.

Why?

Because the cause

of Scotland

is at a low ebb

right now.

120 churches

shutting their doors

each and every year.

But let me give you

one story of encouragement.

Back in 2000,

we had a church

on the Royal Mile.

The Free Church

has a church

on the Royal Mile

called St. Columbus

Free Church.

Year 2000,

the congregation

reduced to about

30 people.

There were no children.

There was one elder.

And the conventional wisdom

said,

this church is too small.

This church is too old.

Let's combine

this small congregation

with one of the other

Edinburgh congregations

and shut the door.

Well, there was a friend

of ours,

of mine,

who I know very well,

and he spoke

and he persuaded

the church

to give it one more try.

2001,

they call

a young man

at the time,

Derek Lament,

from up north.

Now, Derek left

a very large,

thriving congregation

in Easter Ross

to come down

to this small gathering

in Edinburgh.

It doesn't really

make much sense,

does it?

To leave a large church

that's thriving,

come to a small church.

To leave a church

where you have

an unlimited appointment,

you can stay there

for as long as you want,

and to be told,

well, you might get

five years out of this

if you're lucky.

Well, the rest

of the story,

of course,

is not so much

about the people

or the personalities,

but it's about

the God who was preached

and the gospel

that was proclaimed.

So today,

more than 200 people

would gather

at the same church

on the Royal Mile,

but from that church,

three new churches

have been planted.

And if you sum up

all those four churches,

now over 700 worshipers

may be gathering

every Sunday

worshiping Jesus.

So it just goes

to show what you can do

if you have

a Great Commission mentality

for Edinburgh.

You'll say to yourself,

okay, we've got

a small gathering

here today,

but let's say

all the folks

of Brunsfield

were gathered together

in this church.

You would say,

well, there's a healthy church

here, right,

in the heart of one

of the neighborhoods

in Edinburgh.

And it wouldn't make

much sense, would it,

to send some people

out of this congregation

to another place

in town,

because that would

make this church weaker.

That would mean

there'd be fewer people.

So, you know,

you don't need

to be an accountant

to kind of put that together,

but God has a way

of making up deficits.

God has a way

of replacing people.

And God has a way

of making certain

that he is

no person's debtor.

When we go forth

in faith,

he has a way

of multiplying things

in a way

that we cannot imagine.

And I'd like to encourage us

to consider

the Great Commission.

And maybe for that

means some of you

that might mean

to consider

leaving your place,

your place of birth,

leaving the place

of comfort,

maybe going

to a distant place.

But for many of us,

it might mean

going to a different

neighborhood.

It might mean

considering,

well, actually,

you know,

there's quite a few of us

in a particular

part of town.

Maybe we could

start a church there.

Maybe we could

reverse this 120 churches

closing each year.

Maybe we could see

120 new churches

starting each year

or more.

But if you're interested

in the global situation,

we're told in

Revelation 7

that a great multitude

from every nation,

tribe, people,

and language

was gathered.

The missiologists

tell us

that 17,441

people groups

exist in the world,

of which 7,414

are unreached.

That means

people from those groups

don't know about Jesus.

They have no means

of knowing about Jesus.

They were like

the Chinese people

200 or so years ago

when Robert Morrison

left the UK

to go to China.

They had previously

no knowledge of Jesus.

Now, I mentioned earlier

that Morrison left,

spent 27 years,

died in China,

and at the end

of the story,

he had only 10 people

who had come to faith.

But I tell you

what he did

was he laid a foundation.

So in just a generation later,

a man called Hudson Taylor

founded the China Inland Mission.

And scores of missionaries

went out from the UK

and throughout the world

to China

with the gospel

and brought the message

of the gospel

not just to the coastal areas

like Canton,

but brought it

into the inland districts

of China.

So many,

that by 1939,

I think the high water mark

was there were over 1,300

China Inland Missionaries

in China.

The story continues

until after the war.

Remember Chairman Mao?

He expelled

all the foreign missionaries,

all the foreign missions.

Christianity

was a Western religion

and if we get rid

of the Westerners,

we'll get rid of Christianity.

Probably in 1949,

there were about

a million Chinese believers.

And Mao succeeded

in a sense

that there were no longer

a million Chinese Christians.

But he succeeded

in a way that he never expected

because there's 100 million

Chinese Christians today.

But it all began

with a man called

Robert Morrison

who felt a call

to go to China.

He wrote a dictionary,

translated the Bible,

laid the foundation

for all future

missionary work

in China.

And God blessed

that work,

God blessed that worker

so that today,

China is one of the

great sources

of missionaries now.

Not just receiving,

but sending people

all over.

And what you find

in any city center

congregation

in the United States

or in the United Kingdom,

that there are Chinese people

that are coming to faith.

They're coming to church.

They want to share

their faith

with their families,

with their friends.

Why?

Because 200 years ago,

a man heard the call,

went to China,

gave his life

in the service of Jesus.

So the great command

is to go,

to make disciples

of all nations.

Jesus says,

all authority

on heaven and on earth

rests on him.

And when we go

to our neighbors,

to our friends,

to the ends of the earth,

we are guaranteed

that Jesus Christ

goes with us.

Watch out

what happens

when we take

that command

seriously.

Hudson Taylor,

the great missionary

to China,

said,

the great commission

is not an option

to be considered.

It is a command

to be obeyed.

Let us pray.

Father,

I thank you

for each one of us

gathered here today.

And I pray

for this church.

I give you thanks

for its vitality.

We give you thanks

for the many lives

that it has already touched.

And I pray

that you might give

this congregation

of your people wisdom

to see how they may

contribute to

the work

of the great commission.

How they might give,

how they might pray,

how they might go.

Maybe that work

might be in the city

of Edinburgh.

Maybe it might be

into surrounding districts

of this city.

Maybe it might be

to different areas

of the country

of Scotland.

But maybe it might be

that some from this place

might go forth

to some of those

7,400 people groups

who know nothing

about Jesus

to go and to tell them

that there is a banquet

that is prepared.

To go and tell them

that there's an invitation

that is given

by the King of Heaven

that they are to look

to Jesus.

And in looking to Jesus

they will be saved.

So I pray

for this congregation.

I pray for its leadership.

I pray for its membership.

And I pray, Lord,

that you might be pleased

to bless this people,

to multiply them,

that they in turn

might be a blessing

in the lives of others.

For we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.