The Great Commission Today

It's my pleasure this morning to welcome with us Reverend Rory Stott. He's Minister in Fort Throes in the Black Isle.

! Myself and Rory, we began studies in the Free Church College as it was known then, which is now the Free Church Seminary, back in 2008.

And we went through college years together, so it's a privilege, a delight to welcome him to the Pope.

But he's never preached here in Stornoway before, but he's got close ties with Stornoway.

He actually met his wife, Kirsteen, on a trip over to Lewis, and we're delighted that Kirsteen is able to be with us today as well.

So please do speak to him if you come through to the hall afterwards.

Himself and Kirsteen, they'll be delighted to meet with you as well.

So my pleasure to hand over to Rory now to lead us in our worship.

Thank you so much. It is such a privilege to be with you today, to worship God.

Shall we just listen to the Word of God in Isaiah in chapter 40?

The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might, he increases strength.

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted.

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.

They shall mount up with wings like eagles.

They shall run and not be weary.

They shall walk and not faint.

Let us worship God.

And we're going to sing in Psalm 103.

And sing Psalm 103, verses 1 to 11.

Psalms 103:1–11

Let's sing to God's praise.

Amen.

Praise God, my soul, with all my heart.

Let me exalt his holy name.

Forget not all his benefits.

His praise, my soul, in song proclaim.

The Lord forgives you all your sins.

And heals your sickness and distress.

Your life he rescues from the grave.

And crowns you in his tenderness.

He satisfies your deep desires.

From his unending source of good.

So that, just like the eagle's strength.

Your beautiful vigor is renewed.

The Lord is known for righteous acts.

And justice too, down-trodden ones.

To Moses he gave known his ways.

His mighty deeds to Israel's sons.

The Lord is merciful and kind.

To anger slow and full of grace.

He will not constantly reprove.

For in his anger hide his face.

He does not punish our misdeeds.

Forgive our sins, their just reward.

For the Lord.

How great is love as high as hen.

To hearts of those who fear the Lord.

Let us pray.

Let us pray.

Let us pray.

Let us pray.

Let us pray.

Let us pray.

Let us pray.

Let us pray.

Let us pray.

Let us pray.

Let us pray.

Let us pray.

of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You are worthy of all praise and honor and glory.

Father, we confess our sins before you this morning.

We have sinned against you in thought, word, and in deed.

Forgive us for all our shortcomings.

We thank you that in Jesus Christ there is forgiveness and there is hope.

We do thank you and we praise you for the hope that we have in the gospel.

We thank you again, dear Lord, for your creation.

We thank you for the beauty that surrounds us.

And as we look out on such a glorious morning, we cannot help but worship you and praise you.

We thank you for the mountains and the seas.

We thank you for the birds, the singing birds.

We thank you, Lord, for all that reminds us of your goodness and your mercy and your love and your power, your creativity.

We thank you for all these things.

Lord, we long to hear from you.

So help us to put aside all that distracts us and to focus on you.

And we pray this in Jesus' name and for his sake.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Okay, boys and girls.

Now, I don't really know how many boys and girls are here.

I can see as I look out, I can see a few young faces.

And I wonder, boys and girls, if I had to ask you what a missionary is, I wonder if you would know the answer.

What is a missionary?

And I don't think in this church that you would shout out, would you?

But if I had to ask you what a missionary is, and a short answer is that a missionary is, say, somebody who is sent out to tell people about Jesus Christ.

Now, I wonder if you enjoy Paw Patrol.

Paw Patrol is a great program.

And I wonder who your favorite Paw Patrol dog is.

Now, I've got to confess that my favorite is Chase.

And there are a couple of reasons for that.

Chase is always dressed in blue.

You know that.

And Chase is just very cool.

He's normally wearing his police hat.

And he goes out and he helps rider.

Otherwise, there's Rocky or Zuma or Sky.

Sky is very cool.

If you like pink, then Sky is for you.

Sky goes up in the helicopter and does everything that rider asks her to do.

Now, what I really love is when there's a problem and the Paw Patrol are called via their pup pads.

And their pup pads sort of make the sound and they all go together to the center.

And rider says, there's a problem.

We need you to help.

And he's always a really, really organized rider.

And he says, you go, Zuma, you do this.

And Chase, you do that.

And Sky, I want you to do this.

Really, really good planning and well organized.

But rider sends them off with their instructions.

He sends them off.

And they all know exactly what they have to do.

And they, oh, it's just so cool.

When they go down that slide and they fall into these very smart Paw Patrol vehicles.

And they've all got their unique vehicles.

And they go out and they do their thing.

But they're sent out, aren't they?

And the Bible tells us very, very clearly that God's people are sent out into the world to tell people about Jesus.

Now, everybody is gifted in different ways.

And so they can use their gifts to help in that work.

Somebody might be really good on the computer and they can help with that.

Or they might be good at speaking.

Or they might be good mechanics or whatever it is.

And they can serve God in that way.

Paw Patrol reminds us that Jesus tells all his children to go out and tell people about him.

Boys and girls, thank you so much for listening.

We're going to say the Lord's Prayer together as we pray together.

Our Father, which art in heaven.

Amen.

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

Lead us not into temptation.

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom.

The power and the glory.

Forever and ever.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

I'm going to sing again in Psalm 40.

Psalm number 40 and sing psalms on page 50 of the psalm books.

Psalm 40 verses 1 to 8 on page 50.

Psalms 40:1–8

I waited long upon the Lord.

He heard my cry and turned to me.

He raised me from the slimy pit.

And from the mire he pulled me free.

Let's sing to God's praise.

I waited long upon the Lord.

I waited long upon the Lord.

He heard my cry and turned to me.

He raised me from the slimy pit.

And from the mire he pulled me free.

He raised me from the slimy pit.

And from the mire he pulled me free.

He set my feet on solid rock.

A place to stand bold, firm and broad.

He put a new song in my mouth.

A joyful hymn of praise to God.

Many will look with godly fear.

And on the Lord alone rely.

Blessed are they who trust the Lord.

Who shone the proud and gods that lie.

Thou wonders you have a full heart.

How many and how great they are.

You and sorrows are far beyond.

Their power to number or declare.

You did not ask that cast or goats.

He brought a sacrifice for sin.

But you have opened up my ears.

You did not seek burnt offering.

Please, if you are,

Please, if you are,

Please, if you are,

Please, if you are,

Please, if you are,

Please, if you are,

Please, if you are,

Please, if you are,

Please, if you are,

Pure will, my God, pure love is in my heart and soul.

Thank you.

Shall we turn in our Bibles, turn with me to Matthew's Gospel and chapter 28.

Matthew's Gospel and chapter 28, last chapter in the Gospel of Matthew.

And this is a chapter about the resurrection and the famous words of Jesus to his disciples

in that last little section of the chapter, what we call the Great Commission.

And that's what we're going to be thinking about this morning.

So let me read the whole chapter, Matthew and chapter 28.

Now after the Sabbath, towards the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and

the other Mary went to see the tomb.

And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven

and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow.

And for fear of him, the guards trembled and became like dead men.

But the angel said to the woman, Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who was crucified.

He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.

Come, see the place where he lay.

Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead.

And behold, he is going before you to Galilee.

There you will see him.

See, I have told you.

So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples.

And behold, Jesus met them and said greetings.

And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him.

Then Jesus said to them, Do not be afraid.

Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.

While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place.

And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said,

Tell people.

His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.

And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.

So they took the money and did as they were directed.

And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

And when they saw him, they worshipped him.

But some doubted.

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.

Amen.

This is God's inerrant word.

And we pray his blessing on that reading.

Friends, shall we again just bow our heads and pray?

Let's pray.

Father, we do thank you for that great commission to go out and make disciples of all nations.

We bless you, Lord God, that your desire is that all would be saved.

And we thank you that you use the ordinary to bring about transformation and change in people's lives.

Father, this morning we are conscious of those who are saddened, of those who are grieving.

And we do pray that you would be with those who are mourning the loss of loved ones.

We reflect on the tragedy that took place on Friday evening and a family that is heartbroken.

We pray for that family.

We pray, Heavenly Father, that you would be very close to them at this time.

We thank you, Lord, for the promises of your word that tell us that you are close to the brokenhearted.

But, Lord, not only those who are grieving, but there will be some who have received difficult news this last week.

We live in a broken, fallen world.

And life is full of uncertainty and pain and suffering.

And so we pray, Lord, for those who are suffering this morning.

We thank you for the fact that your church is a spiritual hospital.

We come here not because we have everything together and our lives are all rosy.

We come here because we are broken and those who are needy.

We thank you, dear Father, for your grace.

We thank you for your mercy.

And we thank you that you are the great comforter.

So be very near to those who are in particular need of you this morning.

And we pray for your people.

We pray, Lord, that you would give to your people the joy of the Lord, whatever their circumstances.

That they would have that deep assurance of faith.

That they would have that peace which surpasses all understanding.

We do pray for the communion services coming up this week.

We pray for those who will be leading the services and involved in the services.

We pray that your blessing would be on them.

We pray that you would give to your people an expectation that they would hear from you and not the wisdom of man.

And so work by your Holy Spirit amongst your people this week.

We pray, Heavenly Father.

We pray for those who do not know you.

We pray, Lord God, that you would open eyes.

We pray that you would bring people to the end of themselves.

That they would turn to you and repent of their sins.

We ask these things in Jesus' name and for his sake.

Amen.

Amen.

Okay.

Let's sing again in Psalm 130 on page 421.

Psalm 130 on page 421.

Lord, from the depths to thee I cried.

My voice, Lord, do thou hear.

Unto my supplication's voice give an attentive ear.

Let's stand to sing to God's praise.

Amen.

Lord, from the depths to thee I cried.

My voice, Lord, do thou hear.

Come to my supplication's voice give an attentive ear.

Lord, who shall stand if thou, O Lord, should smile in me with thee.

But yet with thee forgiveness is that fear thou mayest be.

I wait for God.

My soul doth wait.

My hope is in his word.

More than may that for morning watch.

My soul, which part the Lord.

I say more than may that to watch.

The morning light to see.

Let Israel open the Lord.

Lord, for with him mercy is dear.

And plenty as redemption is ever found with him.

And from all his iniquities Israel shall redeem.

Amen.

Well, shall we turn back to the passage that I read earlier, Matthew's Gospel in chapter 28.

And Matthew 28 and verse 18, we read,

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 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.

Well, Billy Graham, the famous evangelist, whatever our thoughts about him,

he had great influence on many, many people.

And at one of his meetings in 1954 at London's Haringey Arena,

someone asked him just before he was going to go out and preach,

somebody asked him,

What would you like to come out of this?

Well, said Billy gravely,

among other things, at least a thousand missionaries.

A thousand missionaries.

And eventually, as we know,

the influence that he was to have on so many people,

he was to realize that and so much more.

The Great Commission.

This is maybe the main passage in the whole Bible,

but it's not the only passage in the Bible

that tells us to go out and tell people about Jesus.

It tells us about mission.

Now, remember the context here is that the resurrected Jesus

is speaking to his disciples.

The disciples and many people have witnessed the power of God.

They have been witnesses to the extraordinary power of God at work.

As Jesus stands there after having died for three days

and risen after three days,

he stands there and says to his disciples,

I want you to go out.

I want you to make my name known.

I want you to make disciples of all nations.

And what we might say the greatest movement in human history,

not might,

this is the greatest movement in human history.

And that movement continues to this day.

As people share about Jesus Christ in all nations,

throughout the whole world,

and as their lives are transformed.

And so we know in the book of Acts,

this ripple effect that goes out into all the world.

As people go out and tell people about Jesus.

And what we need to remind ourselves this morning

is that mission is part of the church's DNA.

Whether we're the free church or whatever church we are,

that mission is part of the DNA.

It is part of who we are,

that this ripple effect goes outside of us.

I want to notice two things,

and maybe a half point after that.

But two main things this morning.

The first one, as we think about mission,

is the authority of mission.

Very, very simple.

But we're taking from the passage here.

What is the authority?

Who is the authority of mission?

The authority of mission is Jesus Christ.

And he uses that word authority.

All authority has been given to me.

So I want to jump very quickly,

just for us to get this idea of the authority of Jesus.

And if you know your Bibles,

you will know John 17,

is that high priestly prayer of Jesus

as he prays to his father.

And he says,

he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said,

Father, the hour has come.

Glorify your son,

that the son may glorify you,

since you have given him authority

over all flesh.

There's the hymn, the words of the hymn,

Rock of Ages,

cleft for me.

There is that solid foundation

of Jesus Christ.

Notice a couple of things.

The unmistakable authority of Jesus Christ.

And we turn to that,

if you know your Bibles,

Daniel 7 is a key chapter in the Old Testament.

And we have the prophecy

of the Messiah who will come into the world.

And we read in Daniel 7 and verse 13,

I saw in the night visions

and behold,

with the clouds of heaven,

there came one like a son of man

and he came to the ancient of days

and was presented before him.

And to him was given dominion,

authority,

and glory,

and a kingdom

that all peoples, nations, and languages

should serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

which shall not pass away

and his kingdom,

one that shall not be destroyed.

And so,

the unmistakable authority of Jesus.

Notice there,

in Matthew

and in Daniel,

we see that he was given this authority.

That doesn't mean that he didn't have authority before

in the Trinity,

in the Godhead.

But what it does mean

is that in his role as mediator,

he has given this authority

over all people.

And so,

it's an unmistakable authority,

but it is also an unending authority.

We've already seen that in that passage in Daniel.

It is an everlasting authority

as we think about the kingdom of God

and the kingdom of Jesus,

which is everlasting.

It is eternal.

Thinking here about authority,

about the power that Jesus has.

Think for a moment about

the power that there is

in the world.

Chairman Mao Zedong,

the famous dictator,

communist dictator,

he famously said,

power grows

out of the barrel

of a gun.

And Alfred Nobel of Sweden,

he introduced dynamite

to the world

in 1866.

And he called it,

ironically,

he called it security powder.

Isn't that ironic?

And the idea behind it

was to promote peace

and stability across the world.

And so,

there are two versions here

of the power

that is found in the world.

And somebody said this,

from the Babylonian,

Greek,

and Roman empires

through to present tyrannies,

we have come to recognize

that every apparatus of state

dedicated to keeping a people

docile and obedient

to a doctrinaire system

has a limited lifespan.

And all I'm doing here

right now

is I'm comparing

power of the world

to the power of Jesus.

A contrast between

these two things.

And because Christ

is behind mission,

it is a powerful force.

It is the most powerful force

in the history of mankind.

Because he has authority

and because he has power,

it is a powerful force.

Powerful things happen.

Powerful things happen to people.

Lives are transformed

because of the authority

of Jesus.

Think of Central Asia

without naming any countries.

But there are things

happening there

that the people,

that the leaders

in those countries

don't want people

to hear about.

But the gospel is at work

and lives are really transforming

because of who Jesus is.

The gospel is flourishing.

Lives have been transformed.

Many of you know

what I'm talking about here

because your lives

have been transformed.

And so the authority

of mission,

we think of the power

of Jesus.

And if you are a disciple

of Jesus this morning,

if you are a follower

of Jesus Christ,

the reason you are able

to take those moments,

although we always struggle,

don't we,

but take those moments

and boldly share about Jesus

and perhaps take the opportunity

and tell somebody about Jesus,

the reason why you're able

to do that

is because of this power

that Jesus has.

We have the Holy Spirit

inside of us.

And so there is

the authority of mission,

but then we notice secondly

the mandate for mission.

So what are we to do?

What is the church to do?

The mandate is

that you are to go out

and make disciples

of all nations.

It's very simple,

isn't it?

You are to go out

and make disciples

of all nations.

Let's notice a couple of things

again about this mandate.

First of all,

the scope of the mandate,

you are to go to all nations.

I love it.

You are to go to all people groups

and tell people about Jesus.

And we have here

the inclusivity of the gospel.

That simply means

that the gospel message

is for every human being

in the whole world.

The inclusivity of the gospel.

Isaiah 42, 6 says,

I, the Lord,

have called you in righteousness.

I will take hold of your hand.

I will keep you

and make you

to be a covenant

for the people

and a light for the Gentiles.

Another word for nations

is that word Gentiles.

It was, I believe,

the understanding

of David Livingston

when he went out into Africa.

It was the understanding

of Eric Little

after his exploits,

after winning gold.

And he had a call from the Lord

to go to China

and tell people

about Jesus Christ.

It was the understanding

of William Carey

to go into India

and tell people

about Jesus,

to go out

into all parts of the world.

And so they had this understanding

of the message

that the gospel message

is for all people

because he says,

go to all nations

and tell people

of the gospel.

We are in the Black Isle

and we are in Highland Council.

Now, the Highland Council,

the administrative area

of the Highland Council

is very limited.

It's a big area,

but it's very limited.

The administration

takes place

within a certain

geographical area.

They don't do anything

outside of that area.

It is only

in the Highland Council,

in those villages

and cities

within the Highland Council

that that administration

takes place.

The gospel is different.

Mission is different.

We told you

that the mandate

is to go to all nations.

We see it in the Bible.

The psalmist

in Psalm 117,

O praise ye the Lord,

O all you nations.

The Bible tells us

that God would have it,

that all would be saved,

but not all will be saved,

but that all hear

the good news

of Jesus Christ.

And there is the scope.

The scope is to go

to all nations

and then we have

the nature.

What is it

that the church

is to do?

What is

Stornoway Free Church

to do?

Well,

we are to

make disciples.

The original

language there used

basically translates

to

teach

all nations,

to teach

all nations.

Now,

there are two things

that are involved here.

First of all,

to preach the gospel.

And we know that

because Mark tells us

at the end of his gospel

that that is the way

that we make disciples

is that the gospel

is proclaimed.

That that is a call

to people

to repent

of their sins

and to turn away

from self

and turn

to Christ.

And by the way,

there will be some people

who have never,

ever bowed the knee

to Jesus Christ

this morning.

And you need to know

this morning

that you are

separated from God.

And the only thing

that is going to

bring you

into relationship

to God

is to repent

of your sins

and to turn away

from yourself

and to turn

to Jesus Christ.

That is the gospel message.

You are

in danger.

You will be

judged for eternity

if you do not

turn to Jesus.

But the good news

is that through

Jesus Christ,

you can have

a relationship

with the creator

of the whole universe

and receive

all the blessings

that comes

with having

that relationship

with Jesus Christ.

And so that is

a challenge for you

if you do not know

Jesus this morning.

But that's the first thing,

to preach the gospel.

And the second thing

is to baptize.

Baptize.

To go out,

make disciples,

and to baptize.

Now,

what is the

prerequisite

for baptism?

It is faith,

isn't it?

It is faith

in Jesus Christ.

And now we

as a denomination,

this church,

believes in infant

baptism.

But there are

some perhaps

who don't,

who believe

in adult baptism.

That's absolutely fine.

There may be people here

who believe

in adult baptism.

But what is important

is that you are

a follower

of Jesus Christ,

that you are

baptized,

whether as a child

or as an adult,

that you are

baptized.

And that is one

of the two sacraments

that we celebrate.

The Lord's Supper,

which you're going

to be celebrating

next weekend,

and baptism.

And so baptism,

go and make disciples

and baptize

in the name

of the Father

and the Son

and of the Holy Spirit.

The Belgic

confession

about baptism

says,

in this way,

he signifies

to us

that just as water

washes away

the dirt

of the body

when it is poured

on us

and also is seen

on the body

of the baptized

when it is sprinkled

on him,

so too

the blood of Christ

does the same thing

internally

in the soul

by the Holy Spirit.

It washes

and cleanses

from its sins

and transforms us

from being

the children

of wrath

into the children

of God.

Now,

we need to be clear

when we talk

about baptism

that not all

are called

to preach the word,

not all

are called

to administer

sacraments,

but what is

really,

really important

is that we are

all called

to be missionaries.

I love,

actually,

there's a church

in Lewis

with a sign

above the door

as you go

out of the church,

above the door

is the sign

you are about

to enter

a mission field.

You are about

to enter

a mission field.

I love that.

I love that

because it takes away

this fallacy,

this idea

that mission

takes place

only in places

like India.

and actually

what we are

reminded this morning

is that mission

takes place

on your doorstep.

What are some

of the things

that we can do?

We can pray

for mission.

I'm pretty sure

that you do that

in this church.

In fact,

I know you do.

you pray

for souls

to be converted.

You pray

for missionaries

on the mission field.

So you can pray.

You can get involved

with mission.

You can support

mission

financially.

And maybe God

is placing

on your heart

this morning

a call

to go

and tell people

about Jesus Christ.

Maybe this is

just one of the

various ways

he is knocking

at your door

on your heart

for you

to do something

about the mandate

that has been

given to his children

to tell people

about Jesus Christ.

Now,

we need to be

very aware

that not all of us

are called

to go to India

or to China

or to Africa

or to the mainland

and actually

verbally

tell people

about Jesus

although we are

all to

always be ready

to give a reason

for the hope

that is inside of us.

Hopefully,

there's something

that is bubbling

out of us

because of what

Christ has done

for us

on the cross.

But there are

various ways

in which we

can get involved.

I love the

missionary organization

MAF,

Mission Aviation

Fellowship.

And what comes

from the work

of MAF

is that

mission

is not

necessarily

speaking on

the street

corner

or on a church

and actually

verbally telling

people about Jesus.

You can go

if you're a pilot

or a mechanic

or if you have

administrative skills

or you are good

with technology.

We have a family

in our church

in Fort Rose

who were

in Papua New Guinea

and he was

a specialist

in IT

and he was

supporting

the work

of Wycliffe

with his skills

in technology.

And I think

when we think

about mission

I think it's

good for us

to dream

to dream

a dream

of what

the Lord

can do

through

a bunch

of ordinary

people

like you

and I.

And so let's

dream for a moment.

Imagine

the highlands

and islands

and that's

the Lord's

people

evangelicals

bought into

the priority

of mission.

The priority

of telling

people

about

Jesus

Christ

and increasingly

became

burdened

to either

pray

or give

financially

or be

involved

in some

way

even

coming

to the

elders

and say

you know

I was

really

challenged

by what

was said

there

about

mission.

Is there

some way

that I

can serve

the church

in this

field?

Are there

missionaries

that you

as a church

support?

You know

I'd actually

like to be

involved

with that

because I

see that

it is

biblical.

I see

that the

Lord Jesus

Christ

has given

us the

mandate

to do

that we

became

burdened

to equip

people

for

mission.

In

Fort Rose

we're getting

really excited

about the

first holiday

club that

we're having

in a long

time there

on that

section of

the Black

Isle and

we're having

a holiday

club in

early August.

I wonder

if you can

pray for

that.

And what

I'm saying

to our

people is

just imagine

for a

moment

30

young

primary

school

kids

who

have

never

darkened

the

door

of

a

church

who

will

hear

about

Jesus

Christ

for the

first

times

in

their

lives.

I wonder

if you can

pray for

that

with us

and pray

for the

organization

and pray

for that

holiday

club.

You're a

big

congregation

and there

are all

sorts of

things going

on in

this

congregation.

Wonderful.

Wonderful.

Because we're

doing what

we're called

to do.

Now there

is a lot

more to

this passage

which I'll

say in

just a

moment.

Go and

make

disciples of

all nations.

Baptize

them.

But also

to teach

them what

I have

taught you.

So discipleship

comes into

it as well.

And so we've

seen the

authority of

mission.

We've seen

the mandate

of mission.

But we need

to see as

well the

extension of

mission if

you like.

I'm just

using that

as a way

to describe

discipleship.

We become

disciples of

Jesus Christ

when we

are new

creations.

When we

are being

transformed by

God the

Holy Spirit.

We then

become

disciples and

we need to

be discipling

each other

and growing

in our

faith.

And so we

can't talk

about the

great commission

without mentioning

the importance

of discipleship.

Verse 20

tells us what

it is.

Teach them

to observe

all that I

have commanded

you and

behold I

am with you

always to

the end

of the

age.

The

authority of

mission,

the mandate

for mission,

and the

extension

of mission.

Again,

let's dream

just for a

moment.

A dream

that ETS,

the college

in Edinburgh,

continues to

equip people

to minister

in Scotland

and all

over the

world.

And that

ripple effect

of the

great commission

as we see

in Acts

continues to

go out.

And we

in a very

small way

are involved

with that.

Pray for

ETS and

the work

of ETS

as men

are being

equipped to

lead the

church and

to go.

Men and

women are

being equipped

to go and

tell people

about Jesus

Christ in

Scotland and

to the ends

of the

world.

Dream just

for a

moment that

this congregation

becomes

increasingly

burdened to

obey the

great commission

and tell

people about

Jesus Christ.

Dream just

for a

moment that

in ten

years time

people would

look at

this congregation

and see

that the

Lord has

blessed this

congregation

and they

have grabbed

that burden

to go out

into the

world

with the

good news

and that

you would

continue to

do that

and as

God's word

is preached

here that

as you are

equipped to

be disciples

you are also

equipped to

tell people

about Jesus

the great

ripple effect

of the

gospel.

Let me

finish

going back

to Billy

Graham

and there

is an

organization

called

African

Enterprise

and African

Enterprise

engages

in evangelism

and relief

work in the

great cities

of Africa.

Now African

Enterprise

is truly

African

in being

led and

African

inspired

but African

Enterprise

began in

Madison Square

Gardens with

a young

white South

African by

the name

of Michael

Cassidy.

Michael

Cassidy was

under the

preaching of

the gospel

and he was

fired up

and he

sensed a

call by the

Lord to

go into

Africa and

evangelize the

cities of

Africa.

And there

are a couple

of lessons

in that for

us this

morning as

we finish

off.

The first

lesson is

this, that

the preaching

of the

gospel touches

lives and

goes throughout

the world.

It is the

greatest human

movement in

human history

and the most

powerful human

movement in

human history.

And so that's

what happens

when people

tell people

about Jesus,

when people

gossip the

gospel to

their neighbors

and when the

gospel is

preached in

a church like

this.

And so there

is that ripple

effect.

But another

lesson is this,

that there is

a whole army,

more than an

army, of

people who

are not

recognized like

Billy Graham

or Michael

Cassidy or

Callum

Motto Smith

or James

McKeever

who are

God's

soldiers

who are

transforming

lives.

Again, you

don't need to

be a preacher.

We are all

the soldiers

of God who

have been

given a

mandate.

Whether we

can give

ten pounds

a month

to mission

or whether

we can help

in administration

or whether

we can serve

in a church

like this

whose mandate,

part of their

mandate because

this is a

biblical church

to go out

into all

the world

and support

missionaries

and do

something on

the mission

field.

However small

it is,

however big

it is,

perhaps you

won't be

recognized for

what you do,

but the Lord

recognizes you

and the Lord

knows what you

are doing

and he is

pleased.

If we are

involved with

mission and

you will arrive

hopefully and

the Lord

will say,

well done

good and

faithful servant.

You know,

the rest of

the people,

many people

didn't know

what you

were doing

but I

see what

you're doing.

Well done

good and

faithful servant.

Let's pray.

Father, we

thank you

for the

authority of

mission.

We thank you

for Jesus.

we thank you

for the

mandate for

mission and

we thank you

for the

event which

allows us

to tell

people about

Jesus.

We thank you

for his

death and

resurrection on

the cross and

we thank you

for your

amazing grace

that you

poured out on

your people

by sending

him to die

for our

sakes.

Father,

help us to

die every

day to

ourselves and

to live

to Christ

and bless

your people.

Send them

out to

serve you

in whatever

small ways

that may be,

whether it's

prayer,

whether it's

financially,

or whether

it's actually

going.

Lord,

equip them

and send

them out,

we pray.

We ask it

in Jesus.

Amen.

Amen.

Shall we

conclude our

service by

singing in

Psalm 126?

Psalm 126

and verses

126.

Psalm 126

on page 171,

when Zion's

fortunes God

restored,

it was a

dream come

true.

Our mouths

were then

with laughter

filled,

our tongues

with songs

and news.

Psalm 126

on page

171,

the man

who bearing

seed to

sow

goes out

with tears

of grief

will come

again with

songs of

joy

bearing

his harvest

sheaf.

Let's stand

to sing

to God's

praise.

song 126

when Zion's

fortunes

got

restored,

it

was a

dream

come

true.

Our

lives

were then

with

laughter

filled,

our tongues

with songs

anew.

The

nations

said

the

Lord

has

done

great

things

for

Israel.

The

Lord

did

mighty

things

for

us

and

joy

our

hearts

knew

well.

restore

our

fortunes

gracious

Lord

like

streams

in

desert

soil.

A

joyful

harvest

will

reward

the

weeping

sowers

tall.

The

man

who

bearing

seed to

sow

goes

out

with

tears

of

grief

will

come

again

with

songs

of

joy

bearing

his

harvest

sheep.

now to

him

who

is

able

to

keep

you

from

stumbling

and to

present

you

blameless

before the

presence

of his

glory

with

great

joy

to

the

only

God

our

Savior

through

Jesus

Christ

our

Lord

be

glory

majesty

dominion

and

authority

before

all time

and now

forever

Amen

just

up

there

voy

voy

!

voy

!

voy

!

voy

!

voy

!

voy

Thank you.