Great Commission

hi Matt Chandler here pastor of the village Church just want to thank you for streaming this sermon on your device I wanted to just before we get going here just lay before you a deep conviction we have that this video sermon that we've prayed really stirs up your affections for Jesus and shapes you and mold you into the image of the son would just be supplemental to your relationship with the Lord and in no way would replace the church you should be plugged into or the pastor that God has put over your life to Shepherd and care for your soul and so please enjoy the next hour or so of this message we have prayed that God would use it in a profound way in your life blessings amen I'll get it right this time last service I came out a song early and so bleeker's at in the middle of it and then I thought I was doing the right thing and so he just kind of had to shut he was trying to tell me to go back and I didn't see him cuz I was just caught up in the moment spirits that go so I went apparently I went so early it's okay don't get it right every time hey I'm glad to be here with you guys this morning I'm excited about what the Lord has for us and asked that really that we could just dial in there's a lot waiting for us in this year but we have these few precious moments on today that we can dial in hear what the Lord has for us before Christmas I was doing some window shopping with my middle son kind of a favorite place I like to go kind of my default place his Academy so we went to Academy and what I was particularly looking forward riflescopes it's not your thing don't judge me but I was looking through rifle scopes kind of they have kind of the whole little section of them so I was picking them up looking through them different magnifications different clarity's all those kinds of things looking through different scopes my son the whole time was kind of tugging on my shirt saying dad I want to look dad I want to look kinda really hesitant to he's got my genes so these things are expensive we would've fallen brang finally I said okay here look through one I turned around to grab another one and he's got it up and he's looking through it thinking dad I can't see well what is it is it dark is it fuzzy what is it he said no no everything's really really far away and small I can't see it and I looked at him and I realized real quickly what the problem was and I said hey can I help you sure so I took the scope flipped it around handed a pack well you've done it and he lit it up and looked through it he's like okay I said can you see now and he said yeah I said is it clear he said yeah it's real clear is real big said can you see the other side of the store yeah I can see the other store the problem was he was looking through the wrong lens one lens everything was really really far off and small it wasn't as it should be but then when he looked through the right lens everything was clear he could see the picture he could see things rightly I've been pastoring in a community like ours for a long time and I have consistently seen a problem that I think is at the root of why so many Christians are frustrated disappointed complacent or bored and I think that problem is a problem of an incorrect perspective that we do not see our life our story through the right lens Tim Chester describes this problem this way he said our problem is that we think of ourselves as being at the center of our world we think of our lives as a story and in for Christians as God being one of the characters in the story we look for him when we need him and expect him to be grateful when we serve Him he's a lovely piece of our story but we still think of it as our story but it's not our story it's God's story theologians call this approach trajectory hermeneutic and I know that's a really big term simply what that means is that when we approach the Bible we look at the Bible interpret the truths of the Bible through the lens of culture so when we do that we are interpreting the truths of the Bible through the lens that we see through culture so culture is defining the terms not the Bible there's a lot of problems inherent that that leads and a lot of wrong directions but fundamentally the problem with that approach is that culture is going to define the story around you culture is going to consistently try and persuade convince and tell you that this your story your life is about you you are the central figure you are the main character of the story and the Bible is going to stay something fundamentally different you are not the main character of the story it is not your story it is God's dori Isaiah 43 6 says bring my sons from afar my daughter from the ends of the earth all whom I have created by my name and for my glory that this story is not about us it is God's story and it is about his glory that is why we were created so my hope this morning is real simply that's how we're looking through the lens of our life my hope is just to be able to turn that around for us this morning that we might see our lives our story in the correct lens and I've got a statement here that wrote that I want my hope for us the perspective that we would walk out and begin to leave live it's real simple it's this the sovereign God saving pursuit of you is gloriously particular and ascending purpose for you is absolutely intentional I want to say it one more time the sovereign God saving pursuit of you is gloriously particular and his sending purpose for you as absolutely intentional let's pray father in heaven we trust this morning that we're all here under your divine appointment whatever our reasons for coming this morning whether the invitation searching New Year's resolution or this is a part of our normal week whatever reason brings us in here this morning we trust father that you will meet with us so we ask that you would help lift us above the distractions well above whatever obstacles are in our way that we might hear from you see you rightly and by your spirits power respond in faith we ask that you would accomplish your purposes this morning for the glory of your name amen when my favorite exercises to do when I pull together a group of men to disciple is the first one I like to do is we call the epitaphs exercise so the epitaphs exercise is really you're given the assignment to write your own obituary your own epitaph if you have that ability what then would you write and I know that sounds morbid but trust me it's profoundly powerful because what you're attempting to draw out is the imprint that you hope to believe behind for those that you love in a sense what you're getting to do is write your parting words your craft your legacy that may seem really difficult but the most difficult thing about that is not riding it it's being concise because when I think of my legacy when I think of all that I want to leave behind for those that I love all that I want them to know that I loved and lived for and want them also to love and live for I have a lot to say that's full of a lot I want so much for them and I want them to believe so much about what I believed live for what I live for I have so much hope for that what that is that's why parting words are so powerful because they are the sum total of our most important intentions for those that we love people say a lot in the total of their lives you pay careful attention to someone's parting words so today we're gonna drill into two places two texts where we get to see Jesus's parting words to the church John 20:21 and Matthew 28 are two bookends of Jesus's post-resurrection interactions with his disciples so this is what Jesus is saying to his followers before he ascends to be with the father this is what he is leaving them with and they're gonna see a consistent theme threaded throughout his parting words to his disciples is that we are saved and assent people now that was going to be the two texts with anchor in but we're gonna flip quite a bit throughout the New Testament cuz what I want us to see the beyond that is the entire testimony of the New Testament is going to only reinforce this that we are a saved and sent people and to do that we're gonna do something a little bit different this morning if you don't have a printed Bible with you I want you to grab one in the seat in front of you underneath in front of you if you have a tablet or device let's just ditch that this morning let's just start 2017 a little bit old school we'll go with a printed Bible in front of us we're gonna have the pages of the page numbers up on the screen I'm a driver I move really fast but I'm promise you I'll try and slow down and make sure everybody can get there but we'll do that this morning but I want us to have the physical experience of flipping through the Word of God this morning of turning seeing this theme come off the pages in the Word of God I want us to experience that this morning rather than just reading and taking my word for it I want us to go there I want you to see it with your eyes I want that lens to form in you this morning as we sit and listen and by God's power respond in faith so let's start with John 20:21 let's go there excuse me so I may set up John 20:21 before we read it as we turn there so John 20 what's happening here is the disciples this is a few days after Christ's crucifixion so Jesus has been murdered on the cross his disciples were there saw it were helpless to do anything about it after his crucifixion they are chased hunted down there hiding together in this moment and this scene here and if you have to close your eyes whatever you have to do to help imagine this they are huddled together in this room the door is locked it's small it's tucked away this group of men and women are here together they're afraid fearing for their lives probably questioning everything doubt is flooding up in their minds and hearts wondering what's gonna happen kind of processing all that they saw with their leader three days before this has been murdered they've been hunted down questioning everything is what he said was true we don't know what to make of this you can imagine the confusion and probably the guilt and shame even having that doubt even having that frustration even having that confusion is there and they're huddled in this room wondering what's next what's next and then Jesus appears I want you think about that because you think about a moments of your life where you've been most overwhelmed and I mean those moments where you're just overwhelmed with joy and elation were you it Wells up inside of you so much for your heart starts beating fast and you can't even get words to describe it I mean I'm thinking of words when I see my children born that's the kind of I don't have words for this this is unspeakable it's just all these things are bursting up inside of me of joy and Wonder and amazement all that imagine the disciples when they see Jesus face to face and resurrected form before them standing in this room where it just been filled with fear questioning despair and then Jesus stands there and physical resurrected life imagine before a word has spoken the look on their faces the feel the emotions going on inside of them the dots are connecting faster than they can keep up with them and it's just welling up and then what does Jesus say what does Jesus say peace be with you peace and that's not peace like she'd be quiet there outside peace everything's gonna be okay now know what Jesus communicates in one word and his physical form and for them is pregnant with so much meaning because what Jesus is saying there when he stands before them and says peace he is saying it's all true it's all true I am who I said I was I did what I said I was going to do and my promise there is power now so it's not peace everything here is gonna be easy it's peace with power it's all true and then what he says next is crucially important cuz I want you to imagine and this is hopeful words I want you to imagine what all is going on in their minds and hearts because they're right now connecting all the teachings as his before that then the cross I mean just the roller coaster ride that these people have been on to stand there Jesus being resurrected form and they're going I mean there's probably guilt of doubting that it was true and then boom he's right there he's going I know your side we got a universe you know my thoughts you know what I was thinking two minutes ago I'm probably shameful about that now you're saying here I'm too excited to even worry about that I'm ready what is it Jesus standing for them peace it's all true the joy that's there that they see the resurrected Christ in front of them the joy that it was all true everything we cast our chips in is true right in front of us it's proved in power and then what does he say to them as the father sent me so I am sending you Jesus begins his parting words with his followers this way as the father has sent me so I am sending you I mean imagine what that would be like in that room all of that welling up and then almost Jesus saying don't get comfortable I'm here it's true let's go that's almost like we didn't get a chance to enjoy the moment it's like we're excited okay okay let's go and she's saying I'm here it's true I did what the father sent me to do let's go let's go to Matthew 28 this is the other bookend of Jesus's post-resurrection interactions with his disciples Matthew 28:18 we go 18 to 20 [Music] jesus 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 and the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you and behold and with you always to the end of the age Jesus is commissioning the church he's handing over the gospel chain for Kingdom advancement and he said this kingdom will be built by your going person a person faith the faith disciple to disciple that's how he Commission's the church that we would go why because we are a saved and sent people you see that theme that he came accomplished and he sends to go that's what we are part of that's what we are caught up in I mean the first time hearing this passage being preached I was in college and the pastor is preaching Great Commission sermons probably around kind of Lottie moon giving time so he usually happens so he's preaching the Great Commission sermon all the Baptist's that Griffin Baptist know that everybody else has no idea what that means it's okay when we've passed it 9:00 a.m. that was went over a lot better more Baptist come alive so anyway so he's preaching Great Commission sermon he gets to a point of application and he said you know this application how are you then gonna respond and he said as Christians in the room how we respond to Christ's great Commission his commandment to the church is we either go get on a short-term trip go live as a missionary and cross cultural context wait either send which means we support missionaries or we send somebody on a short-term trip or we intentionally pray and all of us in that room were charged to which are we going to do this year are we going to go are we going to send or are we going to pray and that did not sit well with me then and it doesn't still sit well with me now and this is reason why I don't ever see in the entire New Testament options like that given to the new tenth of the follower of Christ I don't ever see us given the option to go the option to send or the option to pray rather we are a saved and sent people we go we send and we pray this is the story that were caught up in the sovereign God the universe is building his kingdom through the saving and sending of his people going is not an option my burden for us Church as I think we know all too well what it means to be a safe people but I don't know if we know what it means to be a sent people but our decisions this morning our options is not can we go should we go it's will we go so I'll answer two questions first this morning the first is why should we go and the second one is how then should we go so first question why should we go as two motivations driving why we should go the first one we were motivated by the sovereignty of God Matthew 24:14 georglyn said that this is the most important verse for new testament christians to understand matthew 24:14 says this and this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come I want you to key in on one main word there will this gospel the kingdom will be proclaimed as a testimony throughout the whole throughout the whole world is a testimony to all nations what his nations mean there's a lot of arguing about that so over 200 geopolitical nations in the world there's over 16,000 people groups ethnic linguistic groupings that's what I think he's mentioning here United States didn't exist here that nation didn't exist here 16,000 people groups in the world 6,000 of those 16,000 people groups have never heard a word the so this verse for us is important because we're living in this tension of this is the promise in the mission of God this is what he is doing God is calling a shot all nations will hear all nations will testify that I am God all will hear and we feel the tension and the burden that so many don't even know because they have not heard and they have not heard because we have not gone Matthew 24:14 said the gospel will go out until all have heard let's go to Revelation 5 flip to the other other end of the New Testament revelation 5 we're gonna read quite a bit here verses 1 through 12 together revelation 5 verse 1 that I saw on the right hand of him who was seated on a throne a scroll written within and on the back sealed with seven seals and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals and no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open scroll look into it and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look into it and one of the elders said to me weep no more behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah the root of David has conquered so that he can open the scroll in its seven seals and between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a lamb standing as though it had been slain with seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent out on all the earth and he went took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne and when he had taken the scroll the four living creatures and 24 elders fell down before the lamb each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense which were the prayers of the saints and they sing a new song saying worthy are you to take the scroll and open its seals for you were slain and by your blood you did ransom people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign on earth then I looked and I heard around the throne the living creatures and the elders and the voice of many angels numbering Myriad's and Myriad's and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing Matthew 24 and revelation 5 stand as a promise that this gospel will go to the ends of the earth and then the end will come you can either get on board with that and experience the greatest joy in creation or you can waste your life those are our options that's the invitation before us this isn't the drive by New Year's Eve Great Commission mission guilting sermon this is the invitation to all those who trust and follow Christ what it means this is what we are invited into this is the story this is the lens that we have to be able to look at our lives through this is what we are called into if the story ends it's a sovereign God redeeming and reconciling a fallen creation to himself and this story ends with God's glory filling the earth like the waters cover the sea the sovereign God the universe who reigns and rules over all is calling us into mission and he has promised what he began he will surely finish he wins Christian there is nothing boring about that we're motivated by God's sovereignty second motivation is we were motivated by authority Matthew 28 we've already read this together and read it again all authority in heaven on earth has been given to me go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father the Son Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you and behold I am with you always to the end of the age we go because the gospel of the kingdom is a sovereign God of the universe sent the son and all authority to accomplish his will on the cross what Christ accomplished Fijians one two three that he breathed life into death but he called those who are far off near those who were strangers and aliens he made sons and daughters in the household of God that he broke down the dividing wall of hostility and in place of two made one that we are united with Christ when God looks at us he no longer sees sin and death he sees his son that's what Christ accomplished that's what we go with I had a friend who after graduating college was answering the call to missions wanted to go to Turkey preach the gospel to the Muslims and I asked him I said did doesn't that scare you it seems like that would be really a complicated thing to do you're gonna preach the gospel to Muslims in a Muslim nation where if they were to convert to Christianity I mean so much fear wrapped in that that could be kicked out of the family possibly killed you could be killed how are you going to do that there seems like there's so much standing in your way there would be so many obstacles to overcome and what he said to me then still sticks to me this day this is what he said he said if God is not accomplishing what I go to do then I have no chance if God is not accomplishing what I go to do then I have no chance but we take great courage in this the sovereign god of the universe is and will accomplish his mission it's not up to us our persuasive powers of speech personalities it is not what we do other than we go all authority in heaven on earth has been given to Christ he has made the way he has accomplished and almost what Christ is saying to those disciples in enough room when he says peace it's all true I did it the sovereignty of God is covering that room like a warm blanket saying I've got it I did it and you can go with great confidence and courage knowing that all the power that fuels that peace goes with you CT stud a famous missionary who left a life of privilege to lead six of his friends to go be frontline missionaries in China was preaching Matthew 28 some college students in America that eventually led to the student volunteer movement a huge generational missions movement on college students in America he was preaching Matthew 28 and when he got to his place of application this is what he said we're gonna read it together I wish this was the sermon I had heard in college he says this let's read it together too long have we been waiting for one another to begin the time of waiting is past the hour of God has struck and God's holy name let us arise and build the God of heaven will fight for us as we for him we will not build on the sand but on the bedrock of the sayings of Christ and the gates of hell shall not prevail against us should such people as we fear before the world before the sleepy lukewarm faithless namby-pamby Christian world we will dare to trust our God we will venture our all for him we will live and we will die for him and we will do it with his joy unspeakable seeing aloud in our hearts we will a thousand times sooner die trusting only our God than live trusting in man and when we come to this position the battle is already won in the end of the glorious campaign in sight we will have the real holiness of God not the sickly stuff of talk and dainty words and pretty thoughts we will have a real holiness one of daring faith and works for Jesus Christ those who are in him go with him and all power and authority to make disciples to the ends of the earth we go because of the sovereignty of God we go in all authority that is why then shall we go second question how then shall we go I love how the Apostle Paul frames the gospel flow of disciples life and Saint Corinthians 5 let's go there st. Corinthians 5 starting in verse 16 says this the old has passed away and behold the new has come all this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the Ministry of reconciliation that is in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation therefore weird ambassadors from Christ God making his appeal through us we were reconciled to God and made messengers of reconciliation pay close attention that's not two sentences that's one we were reconciled to God and made messengers reconciliation if there is one passage that I hope the Lord drives deep into the bedrock of our church is that we would see we are saved and assent people and those are inseparably linked we do not fulfill the Great Commission by inviting people to church that's great as a great thing I don't want to discourage that but we're not facilitators or messengers we are redeemed reconciled to God and we now carry with us the message of reconciliation we are messengers Ephesians 1 says this you'll have to go there I'll read it say God chose you in him before the foundation of the world that you would be holy and blameless in love he predestined you get the before the foundation of the world before anything and the world was created the god of the universe set his sights on you that has profound impact for us Jesus wasn't Plan B he was the plan before the beginning of time that God set his sights on saving you your salvation was gloriously particular and absolutely intentional this means that every area of your life is a mission field he didn't save you out of being a father he didn't save you out of being a brother he didn't save you out of being a neighbor worker any of those things your circumstances in your life did not change you did for those love and trust and follow Christ we are sent back in as messengers of reconciliation and were messengers with a message message of good news the gospel literally translates into good news and it's the good news that the God of the universe has made reconciliation possible through the sending of his son in Christ we have hope so hope is a real kind of challenging word for us to think about especially in light of all that's been on the news I've kind of written down a working definition so bear with me here this is my kind of working definition of hope hope is a desire driven expectation of something to come so those who are walking in seasons of sickness you hope for healing people in war-torn countries they're hoping for peace people experiencing long years of drought hope for rain hope can exist in a myriad of circumstances and be rooted in a number of desired outcomes I have a lot of hopes I hope the Cowboys win the Super Bowl this year I hope my kids go to Texas A&M every service there's a loop is what but I have hopes that are deeper than that promise I hope that my kids love and trust and follow Jesus all the days in their life I hope that our community here our church will be made up of faithful men and women giving their lives away if the gospel Jesus Christ all of us have hopes that are unique to our experiences passions and circumstances each chain these hopes can change and priority and shift and preference as disciples of Christ we although share a unifying a fix hope that exists in the deepest places of our hearts lots of people put their hopes and things that will shift overnight Cowboys can make some really bad play calls and we can end in round one it could rain tomorrow it might rain this afternoon who knows it's Texas the Christian hope however does not shift with our circumstances rather it shifts our circumstances the Christian hope is steadfast because it is established in the grace of God this hope is sure because it is rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ a Trekkies rescues redeems a fallen world to himself the Christian hope is sustained through what God has written in his word first Peter talks about this hope in a way that the world will look at it and not understand and they won't understand because all the things that they place their hope in will can and will change those who are in Christ Jesus hold not onto a hope but the hope our hope does not change and it will not fail it takes fear sadness uncertainty and replaces it with joy and assurance peace and if we have this hope why then do we hide it go with me to Romans 10 it's the last passage we'll turn to Romans 10 starting in verse 14 how then will they call on him in whom they have not believed and how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard and how are they to hear without someone preaching how are they to preach unless they are sent as is written how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news how will the lost and hurting hear the message of hope unless we go how will the 60% of Denton County who consider themselves religiously unaffiliated hear the message of reconciliation unless those who haven't go how will the three billion unreached people in the world who have no chance of hearing the good news of gospel Jesus Christ hear it unless we go take us back to Matthew 24 says and this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony all nations and then the end will come this is the story that is our lens this is how we see our life George lad and commenting on Matthew 24:14 says this he says I answer I do not know God only knows the definition of terms I cannot precisely define who all the nations are god only knows exactly the meaning of evangelize he alone who has told us that the gospel kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for testimony alternations will know when that objective has been accomplished but I do not need to know I know only one thing Christ does not yet return therefore our task is not yet done when it is done Christ will come our responsibility is not to insist on defining the terms of our task our responsibility is to complete it so long as Christ does not return our work is undone let us get busy and complete our mission the sovereign God saving pursuit of you is gloriously particular and ascending purpose for you as absolutely intentional we are a saved and sent people our choice today is not should we go but will we go so we're on the day of resolutions a lot of big decisions being made today what will we eat in 2017 how far will we run will we get a Fitbit or and I watch all those decisions for us today but our staff and our elders our prayer for you have been this weekend might be that weekend with state goes in the ground that we look back a year from now and say that was the weekend that the Lord sent us that was the weekend that we began to live for something bigger than ourselves that was the weekend that we all laid our yes down and said we'll go because we are caught up in something far bigger than ourselves far bigger than we realize and you will not see that until you go so in a moment we're gonna sing a song together and I and I hope that this would be our resolution and this is the song should nothing of our efforts stand no legacy survive unless the Lord does raise this house in vain its builder strive to you who boast tomorrow's game tell me what is your life a mist that vanishes at dawn all glory be to Christ I'll glory be to Christ our King all glory be to Christ his rule and reign shall never end all glory be to Christ let's stand and sing together

Channel: The Village Church Resources

Views: 7,356

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Keywords: Matt Chandler, The Village Church, trevor joy

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Length: 34min 50sec (2090 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 03 2017