Matthew 28:16-20

Amen.

New friends as well. I look forward to

spending some time with you throughout the day.

I wonder, do you ever

wonder what the

purpose of the church is?

Do you ever

ask yourself, what is the point

of the church?

If you were to walk outside

after our service this morning

and someone were to

stop you and say, well,

what have you just been doing? Why the church?

What is its purpose?

What is its point? What would you say to them?

What would be your answer?

Maybe some of you are actually

asking that very question this morning.

You perhaps have been a Christian for a number of years.

Or maybe you are just a relatively new

Christian. Or maybe you're not even a Christian

at all. And you're just investigating

Christianity and

Christ and the church. And

you're wondering, what is the church?

Why the church? What is its point?

What is its purpose? Why

do we do what we do

Sunday by Sunday?

It's a good question

to ask, but many Christians are

confused, I would say, about

the answer to that question.

It's vital

to know why we exist.

It's vital to know

what the purpose,

the unique purpose

of the church is.

And so when I found out

this morning that I was going

to be preaching at the service

where you would be commissioning

the new church plant

in Brentford,

I thought it made sense

to preach on the passage

that we generally call

the Great Commission

at the end of Matthew's Gospel.

Because here,

here in this passage,

right at the end of Matthew's Gospel,

we have Jesus himself

having ridden

from the dead,

setting out in capsule form,

as it were,

the main purpose,

or one of the main purposes

of the church.

Here Jesus himself

explains,

in just a few short sentences,

what the fundamental

points and purpose

and mission

of the church is.

Which is what?

Well it's this.

It's to get the Gospel out.

It's to tell people

about the Lord Jesus Christ,

about who he is,

and about all that he's done.

It's to spread the message

of a crucified

and now risen

Saviour.

That is what Jesus

is basically saying here

to these

eleven disciples,

and indeed through them

to the whole church

of Jesus Christ.

He is saying to them,

I have

defeated death,

I have dealt with

your sin,

I have crushed

Satan underfoot,

now go

and tell people

about me.

that is what I'm calling

you to do.

That is why we exist.

That is the point

of the church,

that will be the point

of the new church

plants in Brentford,

to make Jesus known.

After all,

just ask yourself this,

which other organisation

is going to do that?

There is no other organisation,

there is no corporation,

there is no company,

there is no other charity,

whose purpose it is

to tell people

the gospel,

to spread the message

of Jesus Christ.

Only the church

will do that,

only the church

must do that.

Our purpose

is glorious.

There is no greater

mission statement

than the one

that the church has,

which is,

in a nutshell,

to proclaim

the excellencies

of Jesus Christ.

There is no more

excellent person

than the Lord Jesus

himself,

and it is your privilege

as Christians

to proclaim

those excellencies,

the all-sufficiency,

the grace,

the glory

of Jesus Christ

to a needy

and a sinful world.

And we should note

as well

that this

is an

epoch-shifting

purpose.

What do I mean by that?

It means something

that changes

the world

forever.

Something that is

world-shattering,

something that is

history-defining.

That is why,

if you notice,

in verse 16,

Jesus meets

these eleven disciples

on a mountain.

That location

is significant.

It's not a mere

geographical detail.

We're not sure

exactly

which mountain

it was,

but

we do know

that throughout

the Bible,

authoritative

teaching,

fresh revelation

that drives

the purposes

of God forward,

they are often

given on a mountain.

You just have to

think about

the Ten Commandments

that we read

earlier on.

Given to Moses

where?

On a mountain,

on Mount Sinai.

Jesus himself.

His famous

sermon on the

Mount.

Fresh revelation,

authoritative teaching,

driving the purposes

of the Kingdom

of God

forward.

and that is

what we see

happening here

as well

with this

great commission.

This is a

history-defining,

an epoch-shifting

event that is

going on here.

Jesus here

is presented

by Matthew

as the

victorious king

who has conquered

the greatest enemy,

death and sin

and Satan.

The victorious king

who is sending out

his foot soldiers

to lay claims

of a territory

that is rightfully

his.

Jesus here

is, if you will,

our commander-in-chief

and he is setting

us out,

he is sending

you out

on the most

momentous mission

imaginable.

And so that's what

I want to focus on

in our time together

this morning,

the mission of the church,

the purpose

of the church,

what it is

that Jesus

calls his disciples

and through them

as the foundation

of the church,

through them

he calls us

to do,

to carry on

that same mission.

And I want to look

at it under

three main headings,

the three-point sermon,

traditional sermon

formats,

that's what you get

with me I'm afraid.

But three main points

that I want to consider

with you this morning.

The first one

is this,

that Jesus'

power fuels

mission.

Jesus' power

is what fuels

mission.

He said that in

verse 18.

Just look down

at that.

And Jesus came

and said to them

all authority

in heaven

and on earth

has been given

to me.

Jesus is saying

I have a

power

that is

unsurpassed,

an authority

that you cannot

measure.

I have

defeated death,

I have

crushed sin,

I have conquered

Satan.

All authority

is now

mine.

All authority

in heaven

and on earth.

In other words,

everyone,

everywhere,

there is no exception,

everyone,

everywhere,

is under

my authority

as the one

who is

Lord of all.

Angels and saints,

devils and demons,

men and women,

boys and girls,

kings and queens,

prime ministers

and presidents,

animals and plants,

sun, moon and stars,

you name it,

it's his.

Jesus is

the master

of the universe.

Jesus is

the king

of the cosmos.

That is

who Matthew

is presenting

to us

here.

You remember

back in the

first chapter

of Matthew,

Jesus there

is presented

as the one

who is

the great

son of

who?

Of King

David.

And then in

chapter 2,

who is it

that worships

Jesus?

It's the wise

men

coming from

the nations

and they come

to worship

the one

born king

of the Jews.

And then at the

end of his life,

Jesus is crucified,

albeit in a

mocking fashion,

he's crucified

as the king

of the Jews.

And now

Matthew presents

Jesus as

the king

whose authority

transcends

all national

boundaries,

whose authority

transcends

all intergalactic

boundaries,

an authority

that is

over everyone,

everywhere.

He is

the king

of all.

But maybe

some of you

are asking

this question,

didn't Jesus

have all

authority

anyway?

After all,

is he not

the son of

God?

And does

not the son

of God

possess all

authority?

And that is

true.

He does

possess all

authority

eternally,

as the

son of

God.

And so

here we find

Jesus speaking

of a new

kind of

authority

authority

into which

he has

entered.

An authority

that he

now possesses

not,

as it were,

natively or

essentially,

simply by who

he is as

the eternal

son of God.

No,

this is an

authority that

he has

entered into

as a result

of his

death and

resurrection.

You might

call it

an exalted

messianic

authority,

an exalted

messianic

authority.

An authority

that comes

from,

based upon,

derivative of

all of his

completed work

that he

accomplished

on earth.

Maybe you

can think

about it

this way.

One of the

most startling

stories over

the past

season,

particularly for

football fans,

is the success

of Leicester

City.

I cannot

believe that

they are

about to win

the Premier

League.

It's

astonishing,

isn't it?

Now,

at the start

of the season,

Claudio Ranieri

possessed

authority as

the manager

of Leicester

City.

He had

that authority

was native

to him as

the manager.

But think

about the

authority that

he now

possesses,

having just

won or about

to win the

Premier League.

He has,

as it were,

entered into

a new kind

of authority

based upon

the success

of this

past season.

Think of

all the

players that

are now

going to

want to

come and

play under

him.

Think about

all the

other bigger

clubs that

might be

interested in

hiring him.

He's entered

into,

as it were,

a new

kind of

authority on

the basis

of all of

the glorious

work that

he and his

team have

done over

the past

season.

That is

something like

what Jesus

is speaking

of here.

Almost

against all

the odds,

Leicester

have triumphed.

In a similar

way,

Jesus,

against all

the odds,

hanging on a

cross,

doesn't look

much like

the triumphant

king.

But against

all the odds,

he has won

the ultimate

victory over

death and

sin and

Satan.

And now he

has entered

into his

messianic

authority,

something that

he did not

possess before.

And this is

why you should

note,

Jesus speaks of

this authority

as having been

given to him.

All authority

in heaven and

on earth has

been given

to me.

Given by

who?

Given by

his father,

his heavenly

father.

Why?

Well,

as the reward

for perfectly

fulfilling the

rescue mission

that the

father sent

the Lord

Jesus upon.

For perfectly

carrying out

and

accomplishing

and fulfilling

his own

commission.

His own

commission to

be born

of the

virgin.

His own

commission to

live the

perfect life

for all of

his people.

His own

commission to

die a sin

bearing death

as his people

substitute on

the cross.

Bearing their

punishment in

their place.

His own

commission to

rise again

from the

grave,

triumphant.

He's now

fulfilled his

commission to

save sinners.

And notice

what that

means.

Notice what

that means.

It means that

our commission

as a church,

the commission

of Emmanuel

Church in

Brentford,

is rooted in

the commission

that Jesus

himself undertook.

Our commission

flows out of

his commission

and the

success of

our commission

is guaranteed

by the

success of

his commission.

You see,

the great

commission,

as we

call it,

has as

its

propulsive

force an

even greater

commission

that drives

it forward.

Our commission

is driven

forward

ineluctably,

powerfully,

by the commission

that Jesus

himself undertook

and fulfilled.

And isn't that

such a relief

for us?

Isn't that

such a relief

for us?

As we go

out into

the world,

seeking to

fulfill this

great commission,

as churches

are planted,

as people

are sent

abroad or

sent to

other places

in this

country,

isn't it

wonderful that

we don't go

on our own

authority?

authority.

We go

on the

authority of

King Jesus,

who has

all authority.

We are

weak,

we are

frail,

we are

sinful,

but we

have an

all-conquering

power at

our disposal.

That's what

you as a

church need

to remember,

that's what

Emmanuel

Church

Brentford

needs to

remember.

I look at

Stuart and

he is

someone that

knows weakness

and frailty,

but at his

disposal, at

the church's

disposal, is

an all-conquering

power that

will never

fail them.

And he

uses, as

well,

doubting

worshippers.

We should

note that.

It says there

in verse 17,

when the

disciples saw

him, they

worshipped him,

but some

doubted.

I actually

think there's

some people

that think

that there

are two

different

groups,

there's

some that

are worshipping,

others that

are doubting.

I tend to

think that

those who

worship also

those who

simultaneously

doubt.

Isn't that so

often what our

experience is like?

We can be

full of

worshipful joy

and confidence

and yet at the

same time,

that is

punctuated,

that is

tarnished

somewhat by

doubt.

Doubt about

who Jesus

is, does

he really

love me,

can I do

this, he's

called me to

do.

He uses

doubting

worshippers.

He doesn't

use strong

people.

He doesn't

use strong

people.

All the

power is

his.

He uses

people like

you, people

like me, who

are weak, who

doubt, who

are frail.

But we have

an all-conquering

power at our

disposal.

Secondly, Jesus'

program directs

mission.

We've seen

that Jesus'

power fulfills,

excuse me, fuels

mission.

And now we see

that Jesus'

program directs

mission.

Just look at

verse 19 through

to the start of

verse 20.

Jesus says,

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.

Here we have

Jesus, the

victorious king,

laying out this

program for his

church, for his

people to follow.

And you can see

what the key

goal of this

program is.

It's to make

disciples.

That is where

the emphasis

lies in this

verse.

The emphasis is

on the making

of disciples,

the making of

disciples from

all nations.

Jesus is saying

here, because I

am Lord of all,

because all

authority in

heaven and on

earth has been

given to me, I

want people from

all nations to

follow me, to be

my disciples.

disciples.

Which raises

the question,

how is this

done?

How does the

church go about

seeking to make

disciples?

And thankfully

for us, Jesus

tells us in three

broad ways how

the church is to

go about making

disciples.

We don't need to

invent our own

programs.

We have the

program of Christ

himself to direct

our purpose as a

church.

First of all, we

make disciples by

going.

Go therefore and

make disciples of

all nations.

It's an obvious

point I know, but

it's worth stressing.

We need to go

into all nations in

order to make

disciples, because

that's where potential

disciples live.

You won't make

disciples by staying

put.

And what's

interesting here is

that this signals

a vital

watershed, a

dramatic shift in

the plans of God.

Earlier on in

Matthew's Gospel in

chapter 10, Jesus

had sent his

apostles out to

the house of

Israel.

And he had

specifically said

to them, do not

go to the Gentiles.

Do not go to the

Samaritans.

Go to the house of

Israel.

But now, now he

says, go out to

all nations.

Go to the whole

world, because of

my cosmic authority

that I have now

inaugurated as the

risen king.

And again, this is

rooted in Jesus'

own going.

Can you imagine

Jesus, the son of

God, in eternity

saying to the

father, well, yeah,

I like the plan to

save sinners, but I

really don't fancy

going.

Of course not.

He delighted him

to be sent by his

father to come and

save his people.

It delighted him to

go into the world

himself in order to

fulfil his own

commission.

He came, and so we

too must go.

Now the emphasis

here is on the

church itself going

into the world with

the message of the

gospel.

Preachers, ministers

going out, missionaries

going out, declaring

the good news of

Jesus Christ.

But it also, I

think, entails

Christians, just

generally Christians,

whoever you are,

going out into

work, going out

into school, going

out into the

community in which

you live, going

out into your

neighbours' homes,

even perhaps as it

were going out into

your own families.

That is what we are

to be about as

Christians.

Going out.

The Christian

life you see is

not static.

The Christian life

is dynamic.

It has this

dynamic force to

it.

And for those of

you with children,

what is your

mission field?

Where do you go?

Oh, your

children.

Well, children are

your mission field.

I remember one

time a lady

speaking to

someone, feeling

utterly bereft and

down because she

just wasn't speaking

to that many

non-Christians.

she had done as a

younger woman when

she was at

university.

I think she'd

seen quite a few

of her friends

come to Christ

and now she was

a bit older, she

had a couple of

kids and she

just, time was

taken up with

her children.

And she was

downcast because

she didn't feel

like she was

fulfilling the

great commission

and her minister

said to her,

your mission field

is your children.

That's your

primary focus.

You should be

teaching them,

praying for them.

Maybe that is an

encouragement to

some of you.

So we go to

make disciples and

secondly, we make

disciples by

baptising.

Go therefore and

make disciples of

all nations,

baptising them in

the name of the

Father and of the

Son and of the

Holy Spirit.

That's interesting,

isn't it?

It's interesting,

why does Jesus

think baptism is

so important?

I mean, isn't

baptism just an

optional extra?

That's the way a

lot of people think

about baptism,

isn't it?

It's clearly

vital to Jesus

that we baptise

people.

There are many

reasons why, but

I think in

context, the

main reason is

because it's

the mark, it's

the physical

sign, if you

will, that you

have been

initiated into

the school of

Jesus Christ and

you have begun

his discipleship

lessons.

I mean, that's

what it means to

be a disciple,

it means to be

a learner, a

follower, someone

who sits, as it

were, at the

feet of Jesus

and listens to

him.

baptism marks

you out as

belonging exclusively

to him.

It's a gracious

sign and seal and

mark that he puts

upon you and

says, now come, I

love you, now

learn from me,

learn in my

glorious school.

Baptism, I think,

is a bit like a

wedding ring.

You know how in a

marriage, the

husband and the

wife exchange

rings and those

rings signify

that they belong

exclusively to

one another.

In this deep,

personal, intimate

relationship,

baptism is, as it

were, the wedding

ring that God

places upon the

fingers of his

disciples.

And he says to

them in their

baptism, I love

you, you are

mine.

And that's why

I think Jesus'

disciples are

baptized into the

new covenant

name of God.

The God who is

one and the God

who is three.

God the Father,

God the Son,

and God the

Holy Spirit.

When you were

baptized, my

friends, when you

were baptized, God

the Father, God

the Son, and God

the Holy Spirit all

said to you, whether

you were aware of

it or not, they

all said to you

with one unified

voice, I love

you, and I have

set you apart for

myself.

You are my

disciples.

Now learn from

me, and go out

in my name.

So we make

disciples by going,

by baptizing, and

then finally by

teaching.

Go therefore, make

disciples of all

nations, baptizing

them into the name

of the Father, the

Son, and the

Holy Spirit, teaching

them to observe all

that I have

commanded you.

You see, Jesus'

disciples, they need

to grow up.

We need to, we

need to mature,

don't we?

We need to be

nurtured in our

faith.

In fact, I think

that's actually where

the emphasis in many

ways lies.

Jesus doesn't say,

go and make

Christians.

That's, as it

were, his job.

He says, go and

make disciples.

Train people up.

Yes, proclaim the

gospel, seek

converts, of course.

It doesn't exclude

that in any way.

But the emphasis, I

think, is on training

people up, making

disciples.

And we need to be

taught.

We need to be

taught if we're to

grow up in the

ways of Christ,

don't we?

If we're going to

graduate from being

babes in Christ to

mature adults, we

need to be taught.

And what is it we

need to be taught?

All that Jesus has

commanded.

The whole truth

of God's, from

Genesis 1 through

to Revelation 22,

I think it is.

The whole Bible.

We need to expose

ourselves to it.

We need to sit

under the preaching

and the teaching of

his words.

And we are to

observe all that

he's commanded.

His teaching is

intensely practical.

And this is, I

would say, the

particular responsibility

of ordained

ministers, those

men that God has

set apart to

preach and to

teach his

words.

It's here, it's

right here, right

now, that is the

key element of

your discipleship.

Yes, one-on-ones

are very, very

useful.

Home groups are

very useful.

But it's right

here, right now,

at the worship

service, sitting

under the preached

words, the

authoritative

preaching of God's

word, that you

are being

discipled, that you

are being

assured, that you

are being nurtured

in the ways of

Christ.

I remember when I

was at primary

school, I thought I

knew it all.

I thought I was so

clever, and then I

went to secondary

school, and I

realised I didn't,

but after a few

years, I again

thought I knew it

all.

And then I went

off to university,

and I quickly

discovered that I

didn't know it

all.

There was a whole

ocean of knowledge

out there that I

would never grasp,

and the older I

get, the more I

realise is how

little I do know.

As I study God's

word, there's more

and more that I

am just completely

ignorant of.

And it's a bit

like that in the

school of Christ.

We are students in

his school, and we

are growing in

knowledge, but the

more that we sit

at the feet of

Jesus, the more

we realise we'll

never plumb the

depths of his

glory and his

truth.

But this is the

best school

imaginable.

Let me just

stress that.

I know perhaps

some of you,

school isn't such

a happy experience,

or perhaps wasn't

such a happy

experience when you

were younger, but

this is the best

school imaginable,

because Jesus is

the teacher.

He knows all, and

he is merciful to

you.

And sometimes we

get things wrong,

don't we?

We make errors.

We don't always

observe all that he

commands us to do.

But every day we

fall short, don't

we?

And he's not a

teacher that brings

out the cane.

I know they don't

have canes anymore.

He's not that sort

of teacher that

slaps you down

when you get it

wrong.

He's the sort of

teacher that says,

don't worry.

He picks you up

again.

He's merciful.

He's kind.

He's patient.

So Jesus'

program is what

directs mission.

And then finally,

we see that Jesus'

presence is what

sustains mission.

His presence is

what sustains

mission.

And behold,

I am with you

always to the

end of the

age.

Jesus promises

to his disciples

that he will

sustain them in

their work of

making disciples

all the way up

to the ends of

history.

Now of course,

Jesus isn't going

to be with his

disciples bodily.

He's about to

ascend back up

into heaven.

But he will be

with them

spiritually.

And if you

can see my

notes, you

see that I've

got a capital

S there.

He will be

with them by

his Holy Spirit

whom he will

send out upon

them at

Pentecost.

This is how

Jesus continues

to be with

his church

today.

This is how

he is with

you right now.

He is with

you by his

Holy Spirit.

And in fact,

this is

fascinating,

I think.

Jesus has

even said

that it is

to the

disciples'

advantage

that he

goes away

so that the

helper, the

Holy Spirit,

can come to

them.

He talks about

that in

John chapter

John 16 · chapter mention

16.

It's actually

better for us

that he is

not here

bodily,

but

spiritually.

do you

ever think,

I think

this anyway,

do you

ever think

that your

church

would be

better off

if only

Jesus were

actually here

in the

flesh?

Well, let me

put it this

way.

This is what

will bring it

home to you

perhaps.

Would you

rather have

me,

or Paul,

or Stuart

preaching to you

right now,

or Jesus?

It's a bit

of a no-brainer,

I suppose.

But Jesus

is saying

that it's

actually to

our advantage

that he

will go

away,

and that the

Spirit will

come, and

that is how

he will be

present with

us.

You are

actually better

off, we

are better

off now,

than the

disciples were

during his

33 years

on this

earth.

And there

are many

reasons for

this, but

here's one.

Now the

proclamation of

the gospel can

indeed go to

all nations,

to the

farthest

shores.

You see, if it

depended upon

Jesus being

here bodily,

then there's a

sense in which

the gospel could

only really go

where Jesus

himself was,

located.

it.

But now we

can go to

all nations,

because by

his Spirit he

is present with

his people,

wherever they

go, wherever

his disciples

go, they go

in the presence

of Jesus, by

his Spirit.

And that is a

presence that

lifts us, that

is a presence

that gives us

confidence and

boldness to

actually go to

all nations.

I remember

when I was at

Duke Street a

few years ago

now, we

cobbled together

a cricket team,

and we were

not a particularly

good cricket team,

let me tell you.

I even had me

opening the

batting, just

because I could

basically play a

sort of forward

defensive, I knew

how to keep a

straight bat.

We were a pretty

poor cricket team,

but we did have

one guy who was

very, very, very

good, it was

this South African

called Mike,

and his

sheer presence

with us lifted

the team, because

he's someone that

hit six virtually

every delivery, and

he had a really

fast delivery.

He was just a

great player.

I remember we

were always really

worried when we

gathered together

and he wasn't

there yet, he

was running a bit

late, but as

soon as he came

it lifted us and

we all played at

least a little bit

better as a

result.

If Jesus were

not with us,

by the power of

his Holy Spirit,

we would soon

lose heart,

wouldn't we?

We would give

up, we would

go home.

But Jesus'

presence with us

at all times

gives us great

boldness and

great confidence.

And it means

that even when

only two or

three people

gather together,

sure, that's

disheartening,

but we don't

despair because

Jesus is with

us.

You see, Jesus

is as much

with us in

our twos and

in our threes

as he is in

our hundreds

and our

thousands.

And sometimes

it might not

feel as if

Jesus is with

you.

It might not

feel that way,

but it is a

fact.

It's a promise.

Jesus says,

I will be with

you always.

Not just most

of the time,

but always,

to the end of

the age, to the

end of history,

I will be with

you at all

times.

Sometimes, when

you're perhaps

going through

difficult periods,

when the dark

clouds gather, it

doesn't feel as

if Jesus is with

you.

When your church

is struggling,

as no doubt it

has done, or

perhaps it will

in the future,

it may not feel

as if Jesus is

with you.

But it is a

fact.

And we base

our lives, we

base our faith,

not upon the way

we feel, but

upon what is

revealed to us,

what is fact,

what is true.

And the fact

is, as Jesus

himself says

here, he is

with us always.

He will be with

you wherever you

go, as you go

out into work

during the week,

as you face a

difficult boss,

as you face

struggles in

your home,

difficulties at

school,

difficulties in

your neighbourhood,

wherever it

might be, Jesus

goes with you.

You are never

alone.

His abiding

presence sustains

you and keeps

you going.

And so we see

that we have

great responsibility

as Christians.

This is rightly

called, I think,

the Great

Commission.

It is indeed

a Great

Commission.

This is the

point of the

Church.

This is the

purpose of the

Church.

To worship

Christ by

making disciples

of all nations,

by going, by

baptising, by

teaching.

There is so

much for us

to do.

so much

for us to

accomplish.

And sometimes

it can feel

like there is

too much.

That it is in

fact too

great a

commission.

How can we

ever cope?

Let me finish

with this.

Always remember

that the

Great

Commission

is given

by the

Great

Commissioner

himself.

It is

given by

the

One

who

completed

his

own

Great

Commission.

It is

given by

the One

who does

now possess

all authority

over heaven

and earth,

who has

an all

conquering

power.

It is

given by

the One

who will

be with

you

always,

wherever

you go,

to the

end of

the age.

Yes,

it is a

Great

Commission,

but you,

my friends,

you have

a far,

far

greater

commission.

Let's

praise and

cry.