SUNDAY - SEPTEMBER 27, 2026 "A Disciple's Requirements" Matthew 28:16-20

Welcome to DeSoto Hills Baptist Church.

Our Sunday morning services are weekly at 9 and 10 30 a.m.

You're listening to an audio recast of this past week's service.

We hope you enjoy.

God bless.

My name is David Burgess.

I'm the Minister of Discipleship here at DeSoto Hills, and I am excited to be here with you guys for week two of our uh B3 Vision of Discipleship.

Okay.

So back, I want to remind you.

Did I say week three?

I meant week two.

I don't know what I said.

But I want to remind you this morning, okay?

What we talked about last week and what Grant challenged us as the pastor of our church, he challenged us back in the end of May, beginning of June, that as a staff, we want to think about how we can implement a strategy to encourage our church, all of us together, to understand the importance of God's word and how it can be a part of our daily lives and how we can encourage each other to stand on the word of God.

And for it to be a mode of discipleship.

The reason that we live and breathe.

This word that we gather around is more than just words on a book.

It's more than just pages in a book.

It's the believer's very life.

And so last week we talked about, we talked about the importance of being planted, to be planted in the word of God.

And so we talked about how Psalm 1 speaks that he will be like a tree planted by streams of water.

We draw our nourishment from this word.

And so as we continue our look into our B3 vision of discipleship, last week we talked about be planted.

This week we're going to talk about being equipped with the word.

Last week, be planted in the word.

This week is be equipped with the word and being be sent by the word.

Our three B, our B3 statement, discipleship vision.

Be planted in the Word, be equipped by the Word, and be sent with the Word.

And so we are going to look at the Gospel of Matthew.

I've preached on this in the past, but it is so crucial that we as a church believe this passage in Matthew chapter 28.

Matthew 28 · chapter mention

We are talking about the Great Commission is Jesus' marching, final marching orders to his followers to be disciple makers, to go and make disciples of all nations.

And so with that, we are incorporating it into our vision that this is what we are to do.

As a church, as the individual believer, and as a church, we are to make disciples of all nations.

That's a big task.

But think about it.

When Jesus left these words with his disciples, they believed it.

They believed it so much that there was just a small group of them, and they went out and changed the world with this gospel.

They made disciples and changed the world so much so that here we are in the year 2026, over 2,000 years later, we are hoping to do the same thing.

That we are people that have been changed by the word so radically that we want to take this word.

We want to plant our lives in it.

We want to be equipped by it, and we want to be sent by it so that people can know, hear, and know the gospel and hear the freedom that is found in Christ Jesus.

And so is DeSoto Hills.

We as a staff, we we've just decided, hey, we want to be faithful.

We want our people to be faithful.

We want our church to love Jesus and love his word.

So much so that we'll build our lives and our future on it.

I promise you, it is worth it is worth every moment of your life spent for the sake of discipleship and sending the gospel to all nations.

So if you are able this morning, stand with me as we read God's word together.

We're going to read Matthew chapter 28, starting in verse 16.

Matthew 28 · chapter mention

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.

Let's pray together.

Jesus, we cannot do this without you.

Lord, you have clearly set before us in your word instructions to carry out the Great Commission.

Help us to do that.

Help us to know what it means to be a disciple.

Help us to know what it means to make disciples.

Help us to know what it means to rest in your authority.

And help us to know without a shadow of a doubt and believe that, believe you when you say that you are with us as we go.

Lord, we love you.

And we want to celebrate you.

We want to gather around your word.

We want to treasure your word.

We want to be changed by your word.

So, Lord, I want to step aside, Lord, and ask you to do what you do.

Convict our hearts to be more like you.

We love you, and it's in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Please be seated.

Okay, so as you know, uh we are at the end of the Gospel of Matthew, and we see where they've been.

We see that they have done ministry with Jesus, they've spent almost every waking moment with Jesus.

Traveling, doing ministry, healing the sick, casting out demons.

They have been a part of this ministry with Jesus, and they've followed him so closely for the past three, three and a half years that they know how to do ministry.

They are equipped for the job.

Okay?

And so when Jesus, after he was uh had his last supper with his disciples, he went and was betrayed.

He he was led to his uh beating and his execution, his punishment.

He died a sinner's death, but he rose from the dead, and now his disciples have understood that he is risen, they've heard it, and he they are going to meet him on a mountain in Galilee, and this is the scene.

The risen Savior with his disciples, giving them their final marching orders.

And his marching orders for the disciples, and I believe with all of my heart, with every ounce of energy that I have in me, it is our job as well.

And if it's our job, and if it's our job as a staff to present you with the truth of what our life should be about, it is our job to tell you, and it is our job to lead you, and we want to do that faithfully.

So, the importance of being equipped by the word of God.

Let's take a look at this word disciple.

His disciples went and met him.

So there's a reason that they are called disciples.

Think about what a disciple is, what a what a disciple does.

A disciple is someone who learns directly from an expert, teacher, or scholar.

This was a practice throughout Greek and Jewish history.

The greatest minds use this method to impart wisdom to the learners that sat beneath them.

There are other examples in scripture.

For instance, take Moses and Joshua, right?

Joshua and Moses were leaders of Israel, um, and Joshua worked with, sat under, and did everything that Moses told him to do.

We see a discipleship relationship here in the life of Moses and Joshua, and it was a big one.

I mean, think about all that they accomplished.

Moses led the people of Israel out of slavery, um, and then they fought battles together.

Joshua went out and fought battles, and then together the people were led into the promised land.

And so there was, we see this idea of discipleship throughout Scripture.

And then when I see think about the New Testament, I think about Peter's call to discipleship.

In Luke 5, 8, this is what it says, but when Simon Peter, this is where they were fishing, and they had been off fishing all night, and they had not caught anything, right?

And then Jesus shows up on the scene, and he's teaching from the boat.

And so he tells Peter to let out his nets.

And this is what, and after he lets out the nets, he gets this huge catch.

And in that moment, Peter realizes that this isn't just any man, this is a great man.

Let's see what he says.

Luke 5.8, but when Simon Peter saw it, the great work that Jesus had done, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken.

And so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.

And Jesus said to Simon, Do not be afraid, from now on you will be catching men.

And when they had brought the boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

So right here, as we are looking at Peter's life and what it means to be a disciple, a disciple has been called unto salvation and to the work of the ministry.

So let me just tell you, church, if you are here and you have placed your faith in Jesus, he has called you to be saved, and he has called you to ministry.

He wants to use not just staff people, he wants to use his people, not just the ones who are leaders of the church.

You are leaders of the church.

He wants to use the ordinary person to reach the nations for his glory, and that is me, that is every one of you.

So do you see coming off of last week how important it is to be a believer, to be a disciple of Jesus, to be planted in the Word of God.

It is so important.

It is our lifeline, it is our guide, it is how we get to know our Savior, it is how we get to understand what's important to Him, how we know, how we can learn how to use our lives and spend it on the gospel.

There is no greater call.

There is no greater impact that can be had than a life used to spread the good news and make disciples.

It is so fulfilling.

And it's not just for, it's not just for the elite, it's not just for the exclusive, it's not just for the people who are called to be pastors and preachers, it is for the ordinary person.

And how how do I know that?

Because Peter and the disciples, they were ordinary.

There was nothing special about them.

He was probably a broke fisherman.

Clearly, like he didn't care, he wasn't very good.

He wasn't catching anything on his own, right?

I would say he was he was probably not encouraged that night of fishing until Jesus showed up.

If you feel like you are ordinary, it's okay to be ordinary.

That's who God uses to impact the kingdom.

Amen.

Amen.

So we see Peter, we see his repentance, we see saving faith in that instant.

We see him bow himself to the authority of Jesus' Lordship.

He is willing to follow Jesus.

Willing to leave what he was what was once most important behind, his job and even his identity.

He was willing to leave it all behind.

These are characteristics of a disciple.

A willing heart, ready to go.

It's not that big of a deal, right?

It doesn't seem hard.

To let Jesus have everything.

Here you go, Lord.

I've had everything up to this point and I've made a mess of it.

But Jesus, you can redeem it and you can make my life count.

Here it is, Lord.

Here's my life.

It's the life that Jesus is calling you to.

It's the life that Jesus is calling us to.

Surrender.

You know what a faithful disciple does?

A faithful disciple shows up, he's faithful.

A faithful disciple is available.

He's here, he's ready.

He or she.

And a disciple is teachable, hungry, ready to grow.

We see these characteristics in the life of his disciples.

Surrender to the will of the master.

We see a disciple as someone with a new purpose.

An old life that has been brought to true life and repurposed for the gospel.

Is that you today?

Have you believed in the Lord Jesus?

Have you surrendered your life to his lordship?

And are you willing to go where he leads?

That's a disciple.

So in this passage of scripture, we see a few things.

We want to get back to look at the text.

And when the disciples show up and when they meet Jesus face to face, they had one response.

And worship was their priority.

Imagine walking with this man for three, three and a half years.

See him being brutally punished and then executed and laid in a tomb.

And three days later, you were looking at him face to face.

Jesus is worthy of our worship because he defeated death.

Death had no claim on him.

This is the kind of Savior that, this is the savior that we worship.

He's not just some hero of a comic book story or a movie.

He is way greater than that.

He's the savior of the world.

The one who defeated death and sin.

What we could not do on our own, Jesus did for us.

So we don't worship just a hero.

We worship the God of the universe.

So worship was their priority.

They worship because who else can defeat death?

Nobody.

No man has walked out the tomb except by Jesus' authority.

Remember Lazarus, who Jesus rose from the dead?

That wasn't because Lazarus was powerful enough to raise from the dead.

It is because Christ Jesus commanded him to rise from the dead.

This is the Savior that we serve.

This is the commission that he is sending us on.

Let's open our ears and our eyes to God's plan for you, to God's plan for us.

And we see some doubted.

It was so such a crazy event that Thomas was there.

He's like, I'm not going to believe this unless I put my finger in his side or put my finger in his hands.

I'm not going to believe it if I don't see the scars.

I mean, can we blame him for having that doubt moment?

Like, where would I be?

I don't know.

But Jesus is greater than our doubts.

Jesus goes beyond our doubts.

So the resurrection.

What is your response to this resurrection?

Is it worship?

Or do we treat the resurrection as a fairy tale?

Like it's a great story.

It forgives us of our sin.

We have a home in heaven.

This resurrection should rattle us to the core of who we are.

It should change the trajectory of what we used to think was important when we loved sin and we gave ourselves over to temptation.

We gave ourselves over to what we thought was best.

This idea of the resurrection should shake us to our core and change the trajectory for the rest of our lives.

That we are not our own.

We have been bought by Jesus and we are a part of his plan redeeming the nations.

Let that truth change what's important to you.

Submit to Jesus' authority.

And why?

Why do we get so lax in our pursuit of the commission?

Why is there why is it I don't I don't I mean I I I say this because I see it in my own life.

I see that I'm over, maybe I'm oversaturated with this gospel.

Maybe I've just been cruising on and getting too used to hearing it and being like, yeah, I'll do what I can.

No, the gospel and the Great Commission is should be fiercely intentional in the life of a believer.

And the idea of the resurrected Savior should change, radically change our hearts.

So let's go after him.

Let's get excited about being a part of the Great Commission.

Let's be excited to worship the risen Savior.

And so, with that, there are so many things in our lives that fight for our worship.

So many things.

But the one thing that should trump it all is that Jesus says in this line, all authority, not some authority, all authority has been given to me.

What does that say about Jesus?

See, Jesus lived in a time where his region was dominated by the Roman Empire.

You talk about authority, this claim, all authority, was, I mean, it was daring to say.

It was a brave thing to say.

All authority has been given to me, but we see Rome had authority in this region.

And so they know what that means, the weight of that word authority.

But Jesus just doesn't just say some authority, he says all authority in heaven and on earth.

And so what should this do for our faith?

What should this do for our with our fear and worrying about taking this gospel to the nations?

What should it do?

Well, it does what it should do is it embolden us because we work for the king who's in charge of it all.

This truth should embolden us to take this gospel message to our schools, to your work, to our families.

And this should change the circle of our influence.

The people around us, this gospel should come out of us as we are planted in the Word of God.

We are equipped by the Word of God by being disciples of Jesus.

It should change everything.

And so, as a disciple, submitted to the one who has all authority, there is nothing to fear.

With this statement, Jesus laid out the foundation for the gospel message to go forward with boldness, without fear.

And we see it because every single one of his disciples died carrying this message.

When I say every single one, we all know Judas.

He was out of the picture by this point.

The eleven, okay, not Judas, the eleven were here, guys.

Gathered around Jesus, listening to his commission.

And so they died and they suffered andor died extreme, extreme deaths.

One that I think about often is Bartholomew.

He suffered tremendously in the worst way possible.

He went to uh you know, before his executioners, Bartholomew, he, as he was going to be executed, this is what he said.

And by the way, he was executed by being skinned alive.

I know that is a very almost rated R thing to say, and it makes me shudder to think about it this morning.

But I want you to understand the weight of Jesus' authority in Bartholomew's life.

That Bartholomew went, and this is what he said as he was walking to his execution.

He was walking to his execution, he referenced Isaiah 61, 3 by telling his executioners that, quote, while you can strip away my outer garments, hear me now.

He wasn't talking about his clothes.

He was talking about his skin.

You can strip away my outer garments, but but God will replace it with a garment of praise.

That is a disciple that believes in the authority of Jesus, the King of kings, the Lord of Lords.

So therefore, in light of this truth that Jesus Christ has all authority, our message should go without fear.

What might man do to us?

Kill us?

It happens.

It happens around the world.

Believers die every day for their faith.

It just doesn't happen here.

But if it were to happen here, if it were to happen to you, our executioners may take our outer garments, but God will clothe us in a garment of praise.

Amen.

So if Jesus has all authority, he sends his message through his disciples.

So we've talked about the importance of being planted in the word.

We've talked about the importance of being equipped by the word.

And now we talk about the importance of being sent with the word.

A faithful disciple is a going disciple.

And when I say going, I don't necessarily mean that you personally have to hop on a plane tomorrow and go to Timbuktu and share the gospel with those people there.

That's not what I'm saying.

I'm not saying that you have to do that.

I'm saying that we have to be a part of that.

You have to play your part.

I have to play my part in getting the gospel at all costs to the ends of the earth.

We are to be a going people.

And I've said this in the past, and I will say it again.

This is not, this term go is as you are going.

It's a constant action in the life of a disciple.

So in your life, with that being said, you can take that and say, all right, well, I'm going to go be a disciple today.

I'm going to do my own thing.

I'm going to try not to cuss.

I'm going to try not to drink in front of people that I shouldn't be drinking in front of.

I'm going to try not to say all the bad things.

You know what I'm saying?

I'm going to be a good disciple and just not do bad things.

See, there's a lack of intentionality there.

This as you are going is more like the gospel is so intertwined in your life that you are so planted in the Word of God.

You believe in the authority of Jesus.

You are equipped by the Word of God that it can't help to come out of your life every single day.

And do you know what?

That type of going takes great intentionality.

It is not a passive going, it is an active going.

It is putting your life out there, saying, I'm a believer in Jesus Christ, and it is the greatest thing that's happened to me, being saved by him, and my message to the world outside is come be with Jesus.

Place your faith in Jesus.

Repent from your sin.

Embrace Him as your Savior and follow Him.

Even if it means going to death, He's worth it.

He's worth it.

And if He has all authority, He's going to take care of you.

He is.

He's going to take care of you.

And even if we are killed for it, our enemies can't touch the kingdom in which He is bringing us into.

Our enemies don't dwell there.

But our Savior does.

So let's be people that believe in the authority.

Let's be people that are sent with the Word of God.

And how do we do that?

How do we make disciples on a day-to-day basis?

Well, it's simple.

Let's look at the life of Jesus.

He shared the good news of the gospel with people.

He called all types of people to respond to the gospel by faith.

He reached and ministered to the masses.

He spent the majority of his life with a small group of disciples living and teaching them not just by words, but with his actions, and they practiced it together.

They spent time together.

They grew in ministry together, and they were taught by the best.

He taught people how to share their faith.

He taught his people how to pray.

He taught his people how to live their lives in total surrender to God's will.

So let's be people that go where Jesus wants us to go.

Let's follow Jesus where he is.

And where is Jesus?

His plan is for all the nations.

All the nations go therefore and make disciples of all nations.

So this word is a word, a Greek word called ethne.

And it's in Jesus' kingdom includes the nations.

It's where we get our word ethnicity or ethnic from.

It is all people.

And when when they talked about it, they were referring to the nations and to the Gentiles, even, to the people that were untouchable, the people that were unclean.

Jesus says it right here that the gospel isn't just for the people that look like us, sound like us, talk like us, live like us.

The gospel is for anybody that we encounter that is like us or unlike us.

The gospel must go to all nations.

And that has been his plan since he called Abram to follow him, to trust him.

That has been God's plan the whole time.

So we must go.

The redemption of the nations has been God's plan the whole time.

This is what he tells Abram, who later became Abraham.

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you, I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Not just one family of the earth.

All families of the earth shall be blessed.

So the redemption of the nations has of the nations has been God's plan the whole time.

We see the importance of baptism, becoming like Christ.

And just so you know, we've been talking about being planted in the Word.

We've been talking about being equipped by the Word.

We are talking about being sent with the Word.

And so when we think about baptism, what it is, it is an outward sign of what God has already done in the life of a human being.

It is our initial way that we can be obedient to Him by identifying ourselves with Him in the likeness of His death, His burial, and resurrection.

Baptism is telling the world that your allegiance is to Christ the King above all other allegiances in your life.

Everything else comes secondary to Jesus.

That is the picture and the symbol of baptism that we identify with him in the likeness of his death, burial, and resurrection.

And then he goes to tell us to be a disciple, to teach them all that I've commanded you.

Teach the life of Jesus.

We have it right here.

Get around the word with people, gather around the word, treasure the word, learn about Jesus, teach people about Jesus, and take it to the world, take it to the nations.

And then to finish off our message this morning, we have, as we go, we are not just promised, it is a fact, like we are guaranteed that his presence is with us.

He said, and I am with you, and I am, not just not Jesus is not just saying, and I will be, I am with you always to the end of the age.

Until this time on earth runs out, my presence is guaranteed in the life of my people.

I am with you.

So what do we fear?

I want to follow Jesus.

I want to go with Jesus.

I want to make disciples for Jesus.

And I think we can start it.

I think we can do that right here with you.

Remember, you are not ordinary, or maybe you are ordinary, but you have an extraordinary Savior with an extraordinary purpose, and he wants you a part of it.

Amen.

Well, this concludes our sermon, my sermon this morning.

And so I want to remind you that discipleship is a transfer of wisdom both by word and deed from a teacher to a learner.

Within the Christian faith, discipleship should focus on the equipping of the saints in obedience to Christ's commands, empowering learners to then become disciple makers with the purpose of multiplying generations of faith.

That sounds like a plan I want to be a part of.

So as we enter into our time of invitation, I just want to be honest.

I want you to be honest.

How is the Lord working in your heart?

What has he shown us through his word today?

Maybe you haven't made that initial commitment to Jesus, that that surrender like Peter did, where he said, Lord, I'm a sinful man.

Depart from me, I'm a sinful man.

See, that's where Jesus, that's repentance right there, is when we come to a place where we realize we are broken and we can't save ourselves.

If that's you today, the invitation is this come forward, repent, turn away from your sin, embrace your Savior, Jesus, today.

Maybe this is you.

Maybe you look back over the course of your life and you've sought, you've thought, man, I have not been faithful to this call.

I've not known, I've not had clarity to this call of discipleship on my life to be faithful and to go, to be a goer.

Repent.

That's it.

Believe in Jesus and offer your life as a tool for him to use in this world.

That's what he wants.

Give him control of your life.

Maybe you've been out of place.

Maybe you haven't been a part of a church who wants to go and make disciples.

Well, I guarantee you, I know that our church, we want to be a church that makes disciples.

So if you are not a part of our church and you're you're lost and you have not been a part of a church that is making disciples, come today, join our fellowship.

Let's lock arms, be faithful to Jesus and to his commission and make disciples.

I don't know what the Lord is doing in your heart and life this morning, but he knows and you know.

He knows.

So I invite you to come this morning.

Let's pray together.

Jesus, thank you for your grace in our lives.

Thank you for being the God of the universe.

Thank you that you have all authority in heaven and on earth.

Jesus, you are inviting us to be a part of your plan to reach the nations with the gospel.

And Lord, all I'm asking is that uh God, you, in spite of my brokenness, that you would use me.

Lord, I pray that uh this for our our people, our church family, that we would be about going to the nations.

That we would be about sharing the gospel with our family, our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers, and that they would be equipped and sent to the nations with the word.

Lord, we love you, we thank you, and whatever you're doing, God, change our hearts to be more like yours.

It's in Jesus' name that we pray.

Amen.

Thanks for listening to this week's sermon.

If you have any questions for our pastor, feel free to reach out at DeSotoHills.com.