Matthew 28

He just left it all.

Well, it's faith, isn't it? It's faith in the missionary promise of Matthew 28.

All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me, and I will never leave you to the end of the age.

I'll be with you to the end of the age.

And what's the main part of it? God will go with us.

And how do we know this promise of his presence wasn't just for Jacob? Well, Jesus promises us the same thing in Matthew 28, verse 20.

He says, and be sure of this, I'm with you always, even to the end of the age.

So sis, I know many of us may feel alone and I get it.

Simply your reaching out can be the reminder that they're not alone.

You can even share some scripture.

Feel free to share Matthew 28 20 with her.

Something that you feel led to share that will encourage them.

You used it according to My will, according to My way, according to My Word.

You see, after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the end of the book of Matthew, He comes back in Matthew 28, and He gives His disciples, His servants, a very specific command.

As we think about this idea of stewardship, we just finished up our worldwide missions conference, missions and stewardship conference.

The focus all week has been on as a church, as individuals, as the servants of Jesus Christ, what are we doing to get the Gospel around the world? How can we send more missionaries? How can we start more churches? How can we ourselves as believers go out to a world that's lost and dying and go into hell and give the Gospel out? How can we do more? But if we're not careful, we take this idea of stewardship and we take this idea of missions as if they are two separate things.

But this evening, for a moment, by way of application, if you would allow me, I would like to show you the connection.

I would like to bring them together so that we can look at what we are supposed to do in our lives.

In the book of Matthew chapter 28, would you look at it with me, please? In Matthew 28, Jesus Christ has died.

He was put in a borrowed tomb.

We have been conditioned by empire to read scripture quite narcissistically.

And so even texts like the Great Commission, Matthew 28, we forget that the original audience for Jesus was the apostles there.

and that the apostles went and fulfilled that great commission.

Thomas came to the ends of the earth.

His disciples, oh, here's another embarrassing thing about the disciples.

As Jesus is giving them the Great Commission in Matthew 28, it says, as they're watching him give the Great Commission, it says that some believed, but some doubted.

What? Some of the disciples are doubting Jesus as he's standing resurrected right in front of them? This is Matthew 28, 17.

Why would they say this if it didn't happen? I mean, if they're inventing this, they certainly wouldn't have said it.

They would say, we never doubted at all.

We're really talking about recovering and understanding in some ways of defining or living out the Great Commission.

Because, you know, it says in Matthew 28 in verse 19, he says, you know, go therefore, right? Jesus is speaking.

He says, go therefore and make disciples.

And so there's this idea of enrolling as a pupil, that we're becoming into a place where a convert is created, but a disciple, somebody who's going to, you know, learn from.

right?

For instance, the first thing Jesus says should show up in the life of a believer, according to Matthew 28, 18 through 20, is that a person should believe and be baptized, right? That you should make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, and then teaching them to obey all I commanded you.

So baptism is... literally the first practice or act of obedience a believer should be taking.

So to put communion in front of that,

But I heard someone say at a conference the other day, there's a fourth part of that, and that's obey.

You can obey the Great Commission, you know, Matthew 28, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe All that he's commanded.

And the greatest comfort to that, he says, and I'm with you there always.

So obey.

So anyone today, who operates in obedience to Christ, is automatically a faithful steward.

Matthew 28 verse 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.

Romans 6 verse 16.

Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Faithfulness is found when stewards do what they are told to do.