The Plan Matthew 28:16–20 INTRODUCTION Last words are important. If you’ve ever been with someone in their final moments of life on earth, you likely won’t forget the last words they spoke. Last words have a way of leaving an indelible mark on all who hear them. Over two thousand years ago in Galilee, one man spoke his last words on earth. Words that would form the bedrock of an entire movement. There to hear him were eleven men. The original group included twelve, but one of them was dead and gone. They had just left Jerusalem, to meet Jesus on a mountain in Galilee. Galilee, of course was their home. Jesus had chosen them - fishermen, farmers, tax collectors - from towns and villages that dotted the area. And the journey to get back meant they had to travel past Jericho, across the Jordan River, and north maybe 60 to 90 miles on foot. About a week had passed since that decisive weekend where Jesus was crucified. Now he had risen from the dead. And when he saw the eleven disciples in Jerusalem, he told them to meet him on a mountain in Galilee. Now we don’t know for sure which mountain Jesus meant. But it was these mountain top experiences that marked pivotal moments in the life of Jesus. Right before Jesus began his public ministry, it was the devil who took him up to a high mountain and unsuccessfully tried to tempt Jesus into worshipping him (4:8). Jesus was on a mountain when he gave his greatest sermon - the Sermon on the Mount (5:1), where he revealed the very lifestyle that the kingdom of God demands. It was on a mountain where Jesus took Peter, James, and John and revealed who he really is in the transfiguration (17:1). And it was on a mountain that the resurrected Christ met with his eleven disciples to give them his plan for seeing the gospel spread throughout the world. What Jesus said to his disciples that day on the mountain in Galilee changed the course of their lives forever. He said to them the words which have come down to us as the blueprint for how God intends to spread his glory among the nations. These were perhaps the most important words he ever said to them. But these words are no less important to us. You see, Jesus intended for his disciples (both then and now) to make those final words their first work. Because it is in these words that we find what believers are to do in the period between Jesus’ first and second coming. Listen to what he says in Matthew 28:16-20. READ Matthew 28:16–20…. This is our last sermon in a series of messages we’ve called Authentic Discipleship. Far from viewing discipleship as optional or a second step in one’s faith, we’ve seen that to be a Christian is to be a disciple. And to be a disciple is to be a Christian. We’ve learned that: • Disciples are those who have responded to God’s gracious initiative (The Invitation) • Disciples are those who take up their cross daily and live a life of self-denial (The Cost) • Disciples are those who live out their new calling in community (The Community) • Disciples are those who use their gifts to serve the church (The body) TRANS: Today, we’re going to see that to be a disciple is to be a disciple-maker. In other words, one of the marks of true discipleship is helping others follow Jesus. A disciple is someone who deliberately invests in others so that they will look more like Christ. But how? What does it look like to help others follow Jesus? First… 1. We Make Disciples By Trusting His Authority (vv16–18) In verse 16 its recorded that the eleven disciples obediently went to the mountain in Galilee. And then if you look at the beginning of verse 17 you see that their response when Jesus appears. They instinctively worship him. Now Matthew uses this term more than once, and what it means is that they fell down on their knees and faces in adoration. Remember, these original disciples were Jewish - and every Jew knew that you don’t worship anything that is not God. And so for them to worship Jesus meant that the recognized him as God. There was no doubt in their mind that this man, who they’ve spent the better part of three years with, who was crucified, and now risen - that he is God. Had they not believed that, they wouldn’t have worshiped him. But look again at the second half of verse 17. It says that some doubted. Doesn’t this sentence make you feel a bit uncomfortable? In one sense it’s one of those small details that reminds us of the historical accuracy of the gospel accounts. Because if someone was making this up, they wouldn’t think to include something that appears to be so contradictory. And yet, because it happened, Matthew (an eye witness) includes it here. So what did they doubt? The word doubt can mean to “waiver.” It can mean to question the reliability of something or to be uncertain of a particular course of action. But I find it hard to believe they were doubting who Jesus is. Think about: standing on that mountain, this is their fourth encounter with the resurrected Christ. The first happened in John 20. The disciples, with the exception of Thomas, are in a locked room and Jesus appears to them. Later in that same chapter, Jesus appears again after Thomas says that he won’t believe unless he can see and touch Jesus. The third time is in John 21 when Jesus reveals himself by the sea of Tiberias. They know then, that this Jesus. Perhaps they’re not doubting the reality of who Jesus is, but instead doubting themselves? After all, their training is over. The apprenticeship is done. The disciples are going to become the disciplers. Jesus is about to give them a mandate to carry his gospel to the ends of the earth. They’ve witnessed the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. Surely they were wondering if they were up to the task of carrying out the mission before them. Perhaps they were doubting as to whether or not they had what it takes carry this out? And so Jesus, moves them from a posture of doubt to the providence of God. In verse 18 he says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” You see Jesus knew that making disciples would be difficult. He knew it was going to be hard. And so he starts with his own authority. He begins by stating the fact that he has a universal authority. That’s what he means by heaven and earth. There is no place where the rule and reign of Christ is not extended. Paul said it well in Colossians 1:16, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” And this isn’t new when we come to Matthew 28. Over the course of Jesus’ three years with these eleven men he has been building a consistent picture of authority. He has authority over disease - healing the blind, the lame, the lepers. He has authority over demons - casting them out and causing them to flee. He has authority over sin - forgiving sin, judging sin, conquering sin through his death and resurrection. He has authority over nature - calming the storms. These are just some examples, but clearly they paint a picture of someone who has a universal and absolute authority. Let me put it another way: nothing can happen outside the authority of Jesus. Every circumstance, every action, every world event, and everything that happens to you - none of it occurs outside of his authority. But lest we think Jesus is simply touting his lordship, we need to realize that the command in verse 19 can’t happen without the statement in verse 18. Jesus is telling these disciples - and us - that he has everything in heaven and earth at his disposal to accomplish the mission. If Jesus tells us that disciples are those who make other disciples, then it’s not going to happen because you’re smart, or talented, or successful. It’s going to happen because He is capable of doing what we would otherwise fail at. I want us to feel the weight of Jesus’ command to make disciples. But it does us no good to feel it as a burdensome call. Instead, we need to view it as a weighty privilege only made possible to those who under the authority of Christ. And unless we trust in his authority - unless we trust that Jesus Christ has everything and everyone at his disposal - the call to make other disciples will be an unbearable task. TRANS: To be a disciple is to be a disciple-maker. We make disciples by trusting in his authority. Second…. 2. We Make Disciples By Obeying His Strategy (vv19–20a) When I was in college, there was an organization called “Go Now Missions.” Several times a year they would recruit people to travel overseas for short-term missions trips that typically would last the entire summer. And the way they would hook people was by saying this: “The great commission says, ‘Go.’ So go now or you might never go.