1.     I preached last week on “God’s Building Program,” using Ephesians 4:11 and 12 as my text.

2.     I want to continue with this theme, and this morning my text will be Matthew 28:16-20 (“The Great Commission”).

3.     I am afraid that in most churches it is “The Great Omission.”

4.     Let me start out by saying that the Great Commission is to the church.  It is to you and to me; not just the pastor or missionary.

I. GO (MATTHEW 28:19).

1.     “Go ye therefore…”  “Therefore” ties verse 19 in with the preceding verse – because “all power” (kingly authority) has been given unto the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven and in earth, we are to “go” and teach all nations.

2.     We are to keep the GO in the GOSPEL.  Mark 16:15 says, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

3.     “Into all the world” (Mark 16:15).  “All nations” (Matthew 28:19).  How are we to do that?

4.     We must start right here and then spread out to “the uttermost part of the earth” (cf. Acts 1:8).

5.     In Matthew 13, our Lord gave the parable of the sower.  And in Matthew 13:38, He said, “The field is the world.”

6.     This is why it is important for a church to have a missions program – a world-wide missions program.  We must reach “all” the world.

7.     Oswald Smith (1889-1986) was a Canadian pastor and evangelist, an enthusiastic missions supporter, hymn writer, and author. He pastored congregations in Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto, but is best known as the founding pastor of The Peoples Church, a large congregation in greater Toronto. He also traveled throughout the world and used radio broadcasts to share the gospel message and stimulate support for world missions.

8.     Oswald Smith popularized “Faith Promise” giving as an effective way of getting financial support for missions. He encouraged getting people to commit to weekly or monthly gifts to World Evangelism.

9.     He urged people to give money to missions and often said, “You must go or you must help send a missionary.” 

10. So the first word in the Great Commission is “Go.”   What will happen if we do not go?   First of all, souls will die and go to hell. 

11. Millions are blinded by communism, Hinduism, Buddhism, liberalism, humanism, Romanism, Confucianism, Satanism, and environmentalism.  “Global warming” is a religion for many today.

12. Millions are blinded by Islam.  Many believe that it is only a matter of time before Europe will be taken over by the Muslims.

13. Millions are blinded by all of the false religious cults – JW’s, SDA, Scientology, Mormonism, etc.  Many people are saying that it is no big deal that Mr. Romney is a Mormon.  If they really understood what the Mormon church taught they’d know why true Christians oppose Mormonism and have a problem with Mr. Romney.

·        “Jesus is the literal spirit-brother of Lucifer, a creation.”

·        “The book of Mormon is more correct than the Bible.”

·        “God had sexual relations with Mary to make the body of Jesus.”

·        “After you become a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god…There are many gods.”

·        “Jesus’ sacrifice was not able to cleanse us from all our sins.”

·        “The true gospel was lost from the earth. Mormonism is its restoration.”  These are just a few of their heresies.

14. Millions are blinded by evolution, homosexuality, drugs, and alcohol.   Therefore, we must GO.  We must tell lost souls about Jesus.  We must go. Romans 10:14 says, “And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?  and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

15. Acts 4:12 says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

16. What will happen if we do not go?   Their blood will be on our hands (cf. Ezek. 3:17-19; Acts 18:6; 20:26).

17. Therefore, we better go!  Proverbs 11:30 says, “He that winneth souls is wise.”  Daniel 12:3 says, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”

II. PREACH AND MAKE DISCIPLES (MATTHEW 28:19).

1.     Matthew 28:19 says we are to “teach all nations.”

2.     Teach them what?   The Gospel.  Mark 16:15 says, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

3.     Acts 8:4 says, “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.”

4.     Our Lord said in Luke 24:47, “That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

5.     “Teach all nations” (Matt. 28:19) means to “make disciples” in all nations.

6.     This is not just the pastor’s job as we saw last week in Ephesians 4.  You do not have to graduate from Bible college to teach a Sunday School class, or help out in Children’s Church, or hand out Gospel tracts.  You can give out the Gospel at work, on the bus, etc.

7.     During the 40 days between our Lord’s resurrection and His ascension into heaven, He gave commandments to His apostles (Acts 1:1-3).

8.     During these 40 days, our Lord unfolded to His disciples His building program.  These disciples were to go forth and teach others.  These new converts would then teach others. 

9.     This is God’s building program (cf. II Timothy 2:2).

10. Let us also remember that God has promised us His power.  Our Lord said in Luke 24:49, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

11. This “promise” of the Father was the infilling of the Holy Spirit.  Our Lord said in Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

12. I read an interesting sermon by John R. Rice.  He said he and Dr. Lee Roberson were preaching at a conference, and Dr. Roberson preached on soulwinning.   A pastor who was at that meeting got very upset and claimed that God did not call him to be a soulwinner.  He was called (so he said) to pastor Christians.

13. Dr. Rice said that later on this pastor got right with God.  He apologized and declared that with God’s help he wanted to be a soulwinner.

14. None of us has any excuse.  The same Holy Spirit promised by our Lord is with us today.   The same Great Commission is for us today.  This is God’s building program.

15. Let me add that Christians are often powerless because they are not obeying the Great Commission.  We cannot expect the presence of God and the power of God if we disregard His commandments.

16. Our Lord said in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

17. Acts 5:32 says, “And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey Him.”

III. BAPTIZE (MATTHEW 28:19).

1.     In believer’s baptism, men and women, boys and girls, publicly identify themselves with the Triune God. 

2.     When we are baptized, we identify with God’s people, i.e., with His church.

3.     In believer’s baptism, we identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Rom. 6:3-5).

4.     We are to baptize “in the name (singular) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

5.     “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15, 16).

6.     Baptism is part of the Great Commission, but baptism does not save.  “He that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16).

7.     Baptism is part of God’s building program (cf. Acts 8:26-38; 9:18-20; 10:47, 48; 16:14, 15, 30-33).

IV. TEACH (MATTHEW 28:20).

1.     You will note that “teaching” is mentioned twice in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19 and 20.  they are actually two different words in the original Greek text.

2.     The first word, in verse 19, literally means “make disciples.”  First we must teach lost sinners how to be saved.  We must teach them about sin and judgment.  We must teach them about heaven and hell.  We must teach them about repentance and forgiveness.

3.     We must teach them about Christ’s substitutionary death.  We must teach them the Gospel.  This comes first.  We must make disciples.

4.     Then after sinners are converted, we must teach them about baptism (Matthew 28:19).

5.     Then after they are saved and baptized, we must teach them “to observe all things…” (Matt. 28:20).  This would include soulwinning, Bible doctrine, tithing, prayer, separation from the world, the importance of church membership, church attendance, etc.   This is part of God’s building program.

6.     Why is it that some churches are so worldly?  Why are some church members ignorant of soulwinning and basic Bible teachings?  Perhaps it is because the church does not understand God’s building program: go, preach, baptize and teach.

7.     When a baby is born that baby must be nurtured.  He must be fed.  He must be taught many things.  In like manner, when a person is born again, that person must be discipled; he must be fed; he must be taught many things.

CONCLUSION:

1.     Note the four “alls” in the Great Commission:

2.     “ALL power” (Matt. 28:18).

3.     “ALL nations” (Matt. 28:19).

4.     “ALL things” (Matt. 28:20).

5.     “Alway” (28:20b).

6.     It is very significant that the Gospel of Matthew does not end with our Lord’s ascension into heaven (though that certainly is important).

7.     Matthew ends with our Lord directing His disciples to go and bring the Gospel to “all nations.”   This emphasizes the Great Commission, and our Lord’s building program.