“Go therefore”

Summary of sermon by Erlo Stegen, 04 Oct 2015

Matthew 28:16 – 20
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

1. The eleven disciples went to the mountain that the Lord Jesus appointed them to be at. This is after he had died and had been raised from the dead. There is a place God has appointed for a person to be. The life of a Christian should not be down in the dumps. Spiritually you should be in a high place. Are you on a high place on the mountain top or are you in the valley of joylessness and depression? The Lord Jesus wants you in a high place. Are you on fire spiritually or are you lukewarm or cold? Woe if you are not in that place the Lord Jesus appointed you to be.

2. When the disciples got to that place, they saw Him and worshipped Him yet some doubted. Why did some doubt? The Jews don’t worship anyone except God. They realized that it was Jesus Himself but some doubted. So often when the Lord Jesus met people, He knew their thoughts and He saw their doubt. That’s when He said, “All power has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” That shows what their doubt was all about. They doubted whether all power had been given to Him. As someone may say, “Can my husband or children or a certain situation ever come right?”

3. All power is given to Him. He can cause someone to die or to be raised from the dead. All power is given to Him and that is why we should go to the place He has appointed for us. Since Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth we are to trust Him completely. Nothing is too difficult for Him. Yet, you still find many Christians full of doubt about the risen Christ.

4. “Go Therefore,” and make disciples of all the nations and baptize them. This great commission is meaningless without the assurance that Jesus has all power. You cannot go in your own strength for you will indeed fail. It is in His strength and authority that we are commissioned to “go”.

5. In Greek it says “to go to all the nations and baptize them into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have taught you”. It is not just baptismal water. If you put someone into God then that person receives the very nature and character of God and he will heed what he has been taught. If you baptize in His Name, then they become like Him and behave like Jesus does. You teach them to keep what He commands you. He dwells in you and makes it possible that you keep all these things.

Conclusion: Then His promise is hat He “will be with you till the end of the age.” He will be with us right to the end till He comes to fetch us. If you are baptized into Him and His name is symbolic of His character, you will be like him. You can tell your child not to steal or not to have relationships with boys and girls but he will continue to sin unless he is baptized into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

How many people have you taught to keep what He has commanded? You cannot do it in your own strength; you can only do it through Him.

German Translation

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