Matthew 28:16-20 English Standard Version
The Great Commission
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Jesus came to live among us as the promised Messiah of God’s people.
Many of the people thought the Messiah would be a political king who would, free them from the grip of the Roman Empire.
But Jesus’ mission was not political.
He came to free sinners from the tyranny of sin and to give them new life with God forever.
In his teaching ministry Jesus clashed with the religious authorities.
He directly challenged them because they were more concerned with physical power and position than with leading people to live God’s way—by loving God and loving their neighbor first.
The religious leaders felt threatened by Jesus, so they plotted to kill him.
And they managed to get him executed by the Roman government.
So Jesus laid down his life for us by dying on a cross, and he was buried.
But then Jesus rose to life again, victorious over sin and death for our sake!
Before he ascended to heaven, Jesus told his disciples (and us!) that against all appearances, and against all odds, and at all costs, in a world full of tyrants and brutally powerful and lethal politics, all authority had been given over to him.
Then he said that as we are moving about in the world, we are to make disciples.
How?
By going into the world, among all of the nations.
Making disciples of all the nations they go into.
By baptizing them into the family of God,
and by teaching them to be obedient to his teachings.
And if we ever grow afraid of this task (for we will meet opposition), to recall that Jesus promised that he will always be with us through his Holy Spirit.
He will be with us – until the end of all the ages – meaning essentially forever.
Christ fulfilled the righteousness of the Law, which qualified Him to pay the price for our sins on the Cross.
His death, burial, and Resurrection conquered sin and Satan.
His death, burial, and Resurrection broke the power of sin and death forever in the lives of all who would believe on His name.
And as a result, God gave Him all authority in heaven and on earth.
Because of His coming, His life, His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, God has ascribed all authority to the Lord Jesus Christ Who was to become the federal head of a brand new creation of humanity – a new-creation ‘in-Christ’.
Jesus lived a sinless life so He could willingly give His life as a sacrifice for us all, and Jehovah God raised Him from the dead, gave Him authority to bestow His own eternal life on all who would believe on His name, making Him Head of the Body, which is the Church, so He Himself would have preeminence in all things.
Jesus had already demonstrated His God-given authority in His teachings, for no man spoke the gracious words that He spoke.
Throughout His earthly ministry He displayed His full authority over sickness, disease, and those being afflicted with various ailments and pains, and those oppressed by demons, the epileptics, and paralytics: “And He healed them all.”
He demonstrated His complete authority over Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness, over the heavily demon possessed “Legion” whom he healed.
He proved His absolute authority on earth to forgive sins by saying to the paralyzed man: “Arise, and take up thy bed and walk,”
and He proclaimed His full sovereign authority in the Temple of God when He accused the rulers of Israel, with the blistering words: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of thieves.”
We can have absolute confidence in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for there is no power in heaven or earth or under the earth that has not been placed under His supreme authority, in time and through eternity, for at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of things in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the max glory of God the Father.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Heavenly Father, I stand amazed at Your grace and goodness, and that You would give Your only begotten Son to live a perfect life and die a sacrificial death for me. Thank You that all power in heaven and earth is His and that I am secure in His hand. Keep me from unfounded worry and foolish fretting, knowing that He is in ultimate control of my life and that Your perfect plans and purposes for all humanity will finally be fulfilled through Him. Lord Jesus, you have all authority. Help us to serve you faithfully, faith-filled in making baptized and educated disciples of all the nations under heaven and earth. To Him be all praise, glory forever and ever, AMEN.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 