Matthew chapter 28. Matthew chapter 28 this morning. As we continue on this theme of missions this week Matthew chapter 28 and we're going to read verses 18 through 20. This is often called the great commission. Jesus commissioned to his disciples but also to the church at large.

To take the gospel, to make disciples of others in this world that they might know him too. Matthew 28 18, And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. We'll stop there for just a second. The word power, there's two words, at least two words in the Greek for power. One is dunamis, the other is exousia.

This is not dunamis, which means a raw physical or ability of enablement of some kind. It's a word from which we get dynamite, dunamis. This is not that word. This is the word exousia. It more closely resembles our word for authority.

So Jesus says here, all authority is given unto me in heaven and in earth. And based on that authority, what does Jesus command his disciples? He says, verse 19, go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you. And lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world. Amen.

So Jesus said, based on my authority and my power, I command you, I will help you as you go. I will be with you till the end. So you go and you make disciples. That first word teach is different from the word teaching in the next verse. It means to make disciples.

It means to evangelize people. That what that means is give them the gospel so they might be what? So they might be saved. And then after they're saved, baptize them and then teach them everything that I have taught you. That was true of Christ's disciples and you as a child of God and a student of scriptures, many of you for many years, you have much to pass along to others.

And so it is our joy to pass it along to others here. It is their joy to pass it along to others to where God has called them. But this command is not given just to foreign missionaries. This command is given to the church. And who is the church?

We are. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this day. Thank you Lord for your for your word, for the scripture here. The commission that we have all been given, we pray Lord that we would not take it lightly.

We would take it seriously because it is a serious thing. There are many lost all around us who need Jesus. Many who have not heard. I pray, Lord, that we would be sensitive to their need, we would be burdened for their soul, We would look for opportunities to share the love of Christ with them. In Jesus' name, we do pray.

Amen. So what is the mission? We'll kind of cover that already. The mission is to testify to what we have witnessed concerning the resurrected Christ, his word, and our relationship with him. The disciples were blessed here in Matthew 28 to have actually walked and talked with him for three years.

Many of us have talked and learned from him for much longer than that. But not with eyes of sight, but with eyes of what? The eyes of faith. The disciples could see him. They could hear his voice.

They were blessed in that regard. They were eyewitnesses. But though we have not seen him with these eyes, we know him with eyes of faith. We've experienced his love and his grace and his mercy. We've got to know him through his word and by his spirit and in personal fellowship and prayer.

We too are witnesses and this commission is for those witnesses to tell others what they have seen. The mission is to proclaim the good news of the gospel to every creature as we're told in Mark 16, to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every person whosoever will may come. Therefore, they need to hear. We need to tell them the gospel. What does the gospel mean?

It means a good news. What's the good news? The good news is there is a way of escape. There is a way of deliverance from sin and hell, and that deliverance is found in Jesus Christ. Number three, what is the mission?

To make disciples of all nations. By testifying the grace of God and the resurrected Christ, In winning them to Christ, yes, but in baptizing them in his name and getting them to make a a public declaration, that's what baptism is, and then to teach them what others have taught us and what we have learned from his word. So they too in turn will grow, become great servants of the Lord that they might go and tell others and that together we might glorify Jesus Christ our savior who we will see very soon. That is the mission. Why must we do it?

Why why do you need to take on this mission? Because it's been commanded and demonstrates our love and trust in God. Why should you do it? Number one, we just read it. Our Lord has what?

Commanded it. He hasn't said, you know, if you have time, you know, think about the lost. Maybe, you know, maybe somewhere along the line, you know, hand him a tracker. No. He's it's a command.

God says, you need as you go, as you go out into the world, as you go about other things, don't let this thing leave your mind. This is important. As you rub shoulders with others, you need to show them the love of Christ and then you need to tell them about the love of Christ so that my church will grow, so that souls will be saved. And when we do that, we demonstrate our love for the one who gave us that command, that we love him, we care about him, and we care about the command he has given, and so therefore, we are going to do our best. Number two, because the name of God must be glorified.

Malachi one eleven, for from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles. That's God. What God say? God says, my name will be great in Israel. Is that the only place he's concerned about?

Just Israel? No. Moses says, my name will be great in Florida. Is that the only place he's concerned about? Florida?

No. He says, my name will be great from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same. So as it travels across the globe from east to west, every side of the globe, my name will be great even among the Gentiles. Gentiles or anybody that's not a Jew, there's quite a few of those Gentiles. And most of us here today would fit in that category.

Somebody brought the gospel to us and now Jesus Christ and God is being magnified in our presence and in our world and in our community today, a Gentile community largely, because others took this command seriously. Number three, because it is vital to the building of his kingdom. Christ is building his kingdom. He's building it now. Not not when he returns, but he's building it even today.

Jesus said to Nicodemus, verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. What Jesus said to Nicodemus is you'll never see it, you'll never be part of it if you're not born again. Well, how is one born again? Well, you go down a few verses in John three and you come to verse 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

You wanna be part of God's kingdom? Get your name written in the book of life. How do you get your name written in the book of life? By receiving the Lord Jesus Christ by faith as your Lord and savior. Do that and you will see the kingdom of God.

You will be part of his kingdom, not just the future kingdom when he returns, but you will become part of his kingdom today. We become part of his kingdom when we receive him as our Lord and our king. And then he is your king and you are his subject and you are part of his kingdom, not yet established on earth but in your heart. You must be saved. In order for people to be saved, they need to what?

They need to hear the gospel for God's kingdom to grow in number. Number four, because the lost need to be saved. For whosoever will shall call upon the name of the Lord shall for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him of whom they have not believed? How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?

And how shall they hear without a preacher? The word preacher there does not does not is not in reference to someone who has the position of a pastor or a preacher. It's saying anyone who God leads to go and tell others about who? About Jesus. How are they gonna be saved?

How are they gonna trust in someone they don't never heard of? And how are they gonna hear about him unless somebody does what? Unless somebody tells them. Hands them a track and gives them a Bible, invites them to a Bible study or to church or or tells them at work about the Lord Jesus or stands outside their neighbor's house. How are they going to know if somebody doesn't tell them?

And Jesus went back to heaven and Jesus said, now, I did my part. I died on the cross. I rose again. Now, here's your part. All you have to do is go and what?

Just tell other people about me. Just tell them. Tell them what I did for them that they might believe and be saved as you have. That is the mission and that is why they go. But it's why we need to go too.

It's why we need to give. It's why we need to pray. It's why we need to participate in fulfilling this blessed and wonderful command of Christ to His church. Next question, what tools has He given us to perform this task? What tools has God given us to perform this?

I'm gonna get to that one in a minute, Pam. Alright. With any mission, task, undertaking, tools are usually required. Agree? Most tasks require tools.

If your mission is to plant a fruit tree, what do you need? Okay. Well, you need the tree or the seed, but what else do you need? What tool do you need? You need something to dig with unless you're going to dig with your hands.

Now, you might get by with that a little bit in Florida where it's all sand, but where I grew up, you're going to try to dig with your hands, you get about this far and you hit stuff called red clay and you're not going any further. You need a shovel if you're going to plant a tree. Alright? It's an important tool. If your goal is to build a house, what do you need?

Hammer, nails, saw, and we could go on for a while building a house. Quite a few tools you need there. Can't do all that without tools. If your goal is to sail around the world, you need a ship and you need sails and you need some means of navigation, else you just might go around in circles and not get anywhere. If your goal is to win a war, you need weapons and maps or GPS today, I guess.

I'm sure they use that too. If your goal is to win a Pulitzer, you will need a pen and some paper or a camera or maybe an iPad today. If your mission is to send someone to the moon, you're gonna need a rocket and computers and fuel and engineers to build it and to tell you how much thrust you need for how long to get there in here. And then, well, you're gonna need astronauts. Somebody's gotta be willing to get in that contraption that you're gonna shoot them off to the moon.

Otherwise, you'll never get there. With every task, usually comes a need for some kind of tools. So the question is, what tools has God given us to perform this task that he has commanded? The Holy Spirit is one. The Holy Spirit has been given to change us.

The Holy Spirit has been given to direct us. The Holy Spirit has been given to empower us and also given to the world to convict them. Several verses about the Holy Spirit and his importance in the ministry of bringing the lost to Christ. First one is Acts one eight. In Acts one eight, Christ is departing this Earth and going back to his father in heaven.

He told his disciples earlier that this was gonna happen, to not be troubled by it because if he went up to heaven, he was going up to prepare a place for them and one day he would come back and receive them unto himself. But as he was preparing to go back, he told them, don't go anywhere yet. Go back to Jerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit because you need help. You need help. Jesus had seen during his ministry, they needed help.

Okay? And so do we. This isn't a command we can fulfill just by the might of the flesh. We need spiritual empowerment. We need spiritual direction.

We need spiritual power. And that comes in the person of the Holy Spirit. So he said to them, go back to Jerusalem, wait there, and you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you. Now that word power there, that's not exousia, that's not authority, that is raw enabling dynamic power. Okay?

But you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And what a change we see, for instance, in Peter. We were talking about this in Sunday school a little bit because we were studying second Peter. Before the coming of the Holy Spirit, Peter was kind of all over the place. One minute he was, yeah, I'm the biggest cheerleader.

The next minute he's running and trying to hide and denying that he even knows Christ. That was Peter. But the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost and Peter was a changed man. And Peter never looked back. Jesus said, the Holy Spirit is key to your ministry.

So you go back and you wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. When you accept Christ today as Lord and Savior, you also receive who? The Holy Spirit. And he is with you. And if you'll yield yourself to him, if you'll listen to him, if you'll give him some tools to work, the sword of the spirit, the word of God, we'll get to in a minute, then he will direct you, he will empower you to be a witness to others.

And you'll be more like Peter after the day of Pentecost rather than Peter before. Acts four thirty one, and when they had prayed and the place was shaken where they were assembled together, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spake the word of God with boldness. The word filled there doesn't mean they had half of the Holy Ghost and they got the rest of it. No. What that means is they were empowered as they yielded themselves to the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit power compelled them forward with boldness to preach the word of God and souls were saved.

On the day of Pentecost, 3,000 and thousands more in the coming days in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit is key. In John 14, Jesus said, I I will pray the father and he shall give you another comforter. In some newer translations, the word comforter is translated helper because that's what it means. He is our helper.

And He shall send you give you another helper. Another meaning as Jesus was going back to heaven and He had been their help, now God would send the Holy Spirit who would be the helper. That He may abide with you forever, even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth Him not neither knoweth Him, but ye shall know Him for He dwelleth with you and shall be in you. Jesus said, you know, it's expedient for you in another passage that it's beneficial for you that I go back to heaven because I'm with you, but when I go back to heaven, I'll send the Holy Spirit and he won't just be with you, he will be what? He will be in you for the rest of your life to help you.

You can't do this alone. You need my help. I'm gonna send you help. And when you trusted Christ, you received that help as well. Sometimes we don't listen to him.

Sometimes we're not very yielded to him. Sometimes we don't give him much to work with, but he's there. And if we'll follow, he'll lead. He is a vital tool. You're not in this alone.

Jesus said, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world or the end of the age. He said, I will never leave you nor forsake you and in the person of the Holy Spirit, he will not. We could camp out here the rest of the service and a few more talking about the enablement, the fruit, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but for the sake of time, we're gonna move on to the next tool that God has given us, and that is the sword of the what? The sword of the spirit, according to Paul in Ephesians six, the word of God. We have a tool in our hands today and in our minds and in our hearts and it is called the word of God.

Jesus said concerning his disciples, he said, I have given them thy word. How are they gonna deal with all this going on around them? I have given them thy word, this word. In John seventeen seventeen, he said, sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth. He said, you shall know the truth and the true truth will set you what?

Will set you free. Where do we find the truth? Particularly concerning spiritual things and needs? We find it right here in the word of God. What an incredible tool.

You know, not everybody has as easy access to this as we do. There are parts of the world where they still can't get their hands on a Bible in a language they can read. There are governments that won't allow them to get their hand on a Bible. There are places where very few people know the word of God. We are so privileged to have it everywhere, so many bookstores and online and and so many people that know the word of God, so many churches.

Sad to say some of them aren't preaching it. But we still have so much access today and it is such a powerful tool. You know how God created the world? He spoke it into existence. The words of God are not only instructional, they are what?

They are powerful. They are powerful, the word of God. Not the word of man, but the word of who? The word of God. There are some trying to say today, well, you know, we are created in the image of God.

Therefore, God created the world by words and I can I can create things too? Don't think so. Don't think so. But I know someone who can. He can change lives as much as he can create them by his words, and that is God.

And you have it. You have a Bible, you have it in your hands. If you've memorized it, you have it in your heart. And it will change your life, and it will change the lives of others if you will what? If you'll share it, if you will obey it, if you'll if you'll use it, if you'll take this tool and use it, you'll see it'll make a difference.

Has it not made a difference in some of your lives? Indeed it has. I've seen it make a difference in your life. I know it is powerful and it is a great tool. Hebrews four twelve says this, for the word of God is quick.

That word quick means living, it is alive. It is powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Now, those swords and that sort of thing, those are weapons of warfare and they tear through a man's flesh. They can change him quite radically in just a moment. But we're not called to pick up the sword, the metal one, to change people's lives.

No, we're called to pick up this one. And this one is also powerful and it is living. And it can change people's lives, not for the worst, but for the what? But for the better. If we're willing to wield it in our lives and use it, begin that by learning it and hiding it in our heart and and then exercising it by beginning to teach and tell others about Jesus.

And the more we do, the better we'll get. But the Bible says, so then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. What brings faith in the lives of others? What what what changes their heart and and uplifts them? And it's the Word of God.

Not merely the words of men, but the Word of God is powerful. So if you're going to be a missionary, if you're going to be a witness, and you want your witness to be powerful, then it needs to be bathed in the word of God. You need to make it more part of your life, your heart, and your mind, and it will enable you to be a better witness, particularly as you share it with others. Let's see. And then prayer.

I was getting ahead of myself there. Prayer. Prayer is also a powerful tool to use in this battle because when you pray, you're talking with who? You're talking with God. God that's where?

In heaven and also in here. God who created all things. God who is sovereign. God who is omnipotent. That means he's all powerful.

God who is a god of mercy and love so much that he sent his son to die on the cross that others might be saved including including us. God invites us to come boldly before the throne of grace. What that mean? God invites us to come to him in prayer. He says, ask and it shall be given, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be given unto you.

In Mark eleven twenty four, he said to his disciples, whatsoever what things so ever you desire when you pray, believe that you that you receive them and ye shall have them. Now particularly, he's talking about in fulfilling the mission that I've given you. You need help. Things you need, ask. I own the cattle on a thousand hills.

I will help you. But you need to what? You need to ask. You need wisdom? Well, James tell us.

If any lack lack wisdom, let him ask of who? God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, it shall be given him. God says, if you need wisdom, ask me. I'll give it to you. I'll give it to you in abundance.

You need to ask. It's available if you'll ask. Pray. God invites you to come before the Lord of heaven with your needs, with the needs of your neighbors and your friends, and include him because it's not his your power that saves people and changes life. It's whose.

It's his. So if you wanna change people's life, then you need his help. So if you were gonna build a house and you didn't have all the tools and you didn't have all the know how, then what would you do? Well, you might find somebody who did have the tools and did have the physical ability and did have the know how and you might go what? You might go ask them for help and say, hey, I can't do this.

I need some what? I need some help. God says, I'm here, I'm waiting, I'll help. Please ask. What a incredible tool prayer is because prayer changes lives.

Prayer changes things. Prayer changes things because God changes things. It's not simply the words of the prayer that change things. It's the God to whom you speak who has the power to answer that prayer. He's on the other end of the line.

Acts four thirty one, I read this earlier in relation to the Holy Spirit, but I'm gonna read it now again in relation to prayer. Acts four thirty one, and when they had what? Prayed, the place was shaken and they were assembled together and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spake the word of God with boldness. Now, God may or may not choose to shake this building or your house when you pray. But if you pray sincerely from your heart, if we pray sincerely from our heart to the Lord Jesus Christ to help us, to save lost souls.

He will shake up our church, he will shake up our lives, and he will help and empower us to do so. But you have not because you what? Because you asked not in the book of James. You're so caught up in other things. He says, sometimes you ask and you receive not because you ask amiss that you may consume it upon your own lust.

Your your heart is not with God's heart. You're not asking in accordance with his will or I mean, I mentioned this before. When I was a kid, I wanted a Corvette. 1965, cherry red, hardtop convertible Stingray. You know, I don't think I've ever prayed for that car.

You know why? I don't think God wants me to have that car. Because I would consume it upon my own what? And I would probably lose my driver's license. Because I can't have a car that has 500 horsepower.

Just just can't have it. Don't need it. But, boy, it would be pretty, wouldn't it? But you see, so many times we ask God because that we're just selfish and we want things for us and if you get down on your knees or in your closet at home, in your room by yourself, say, God, I really, really wanna see my friends saved. I really need your help.

And you'll do it again and again and you'll pour out your soul to God. You know something? God answers prayer. God will help you to be the witness you ought to be. He will embolden you.

He will empower you if you learn to, what, pray. Prayer is an incredible tool. You can't I can pick up the phone today and call the president. He is not going to speak with me. But I can stand here before this service is over or pray in my mind and heart while I'm talking to you.

God help me, which is I do often, and God hears my prayer, and God answers my prayer. And he is far more important and far more powerful than any president. What tools do you have? The Holy Spirit, the word of God, the privilege of prayer. I'm gonna hit two more this evening, so I hope you'll come back.

Personal traits and experiences. Those are real tools, and we're gonna talk more about them tonight. And material blessings blessings. Those are tools also, and they're important ones. So I hope you'll come back tonight.

But if you're here this morning and you have yet to receive Christ's gift of everlasting life through faith in Jesus Christ, if you can't think of a time when you, by faith, accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and savior of your life to forgive you for your sins. I'm here to tell you that whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And I would love to have the opportunity to talk with you this morning and help you make sure that you have done that before you leave this place because that's more important than anything else. And if you're here today and you've already done that, are you using the tools God has given you, or are they sitting on the shelf? Pick them up.

Get busy. Let's pray. Dear God, thank you, Lord, for all that you've done for us, for Jesus Christ, our savior, for the tools that you have given to us. I pray that you would help us, Lord, to avail ourselves to this mission. And, that we would look for ways in which we can be a part and participate in bringing the word to others and praying for those who are and handing them the word of God and inviting them to hear it and supporting these missionaries you have called.

Lord, what would you have me to do? Lord, I pray that you would answer that for each one that is in that room today and they would ask you that from the heart. And then as you give grace that we might go forth and see more souls come to the savior. In Jesus' name, pray. Amen.