Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
Matthew 28:18
We have come to the end of a
year. Tremendous blessings as well as
challenges have filled this year.
Each of us has faced our own
personal challenges and victories, and I trust grown in our relationship with
God.
At the end of the year and the
start of a new year, we traditionally make resolutions. This serves as a time to review the past year
and set goals for the coming year.
Today, I want to do something a little different with you. I want to review the last days of Jesus on
earth after the resurrection but before His ascension into heaven. I want to consider what He showed us as being
most important. Then, from that
perspective, I trust the Spirit will show each one of us what his or her
highest priority should be for the coming year.
Of course, I say this fully
expecting that Jesus will return any day now, and knowing that if He does not
return, some of us may not have another year.
Any one of us can be called home at any time. Therefore, we should live each day in view of
these eternal implications.
We are told in Matthew 28:1-7:
Early
on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly
there was a great earthquake! For an
angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on
it. His face shone like lightning, and
his clothing was as white as snow. The
guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be
afraid!” he said. “I know you are
looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He
isn’t here! He is
risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples
that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” Matthew
28:1-7, NLT
The disciples were in
Jerusalem. The Passover had brought the
nation together in Jerusalem, and it was during this festival week that Jesus,
our Passover Lamb, was sacrificed for us.
John 20:28 tells us that on the day of His resurrection, the disciples
were gathered in a room with the doors locked and Jesus stood among them. This happened in Jerusalem.
Later, Jesus told them not to
leave Jerusalem until the gift from the Father, the Holy Spirit, was given. (Acts 1) However, at this point He was sending them to
Galilee, apparently for a gathering of the disciples. This makes sense if we consider that
interference from the governing authorities and those who crucified Jesus would
most certainly have accompanied any large gathering of believers in Jerusalem,
and a sufficiently large space to accommodate a crowd of disciples would have
been both hard to find and very conspicuous.
1 Corinthians 15:5-6 tells us:
He was
seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.
After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time,
most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 1
Corinthians 15:5-6, NLT
This reference to being seen by
more than 500 disciples at one time is assumed to be a reference to the meeting
in Galilee that Matthew talks about.
Jesus had His disciples travel the long way from Jerusalem to Galilee,
three to five days, just to meet with them in a safe, unmolested group.
What was so important that He
needed this meeting?
This is what we are going to
consider. If it was important enough for
Jesus to arrange this meeting then, it is important for us now. In other words, this is the one moment when
Jesus is going to communicate the message He wants all His followers to
hear. The message He gives is known as
the great commission. From this great
commission we get our purpose of "making disciples."
A commission is a charge. It is the marching orders, responsibility and
mission of those to whom it is given.
Jesus called this meeting to give His Church her marching orders. As we consider our role in this and what our
priorities should be in view of this, let's look a little closer at what
Matthew tells us about all that transpired.
Matthew 28:17-18 tells us:
When
they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted! Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have
been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Matthew 28:17-18, NLT
First, we see the worship and
doubt among His followers. This can
teach us about our own hearts in relation to what Jesus says. Our faith does not have to be perfect before
Jesus will speak to us. At one point,
when the disciples asked Him why they could not cast out a certain demon, Jesus
said:
“You
don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even
as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to
there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
Faith even as small as a mustard
seed is enough, and yet Jesus is pointing out the lack of even this. Faith does not come naturally to most of
us. Even the Apostles, who spent three
years in Jesus' presence, had to be confronted about their unbelief. On the night that He was betrayed Jesus told
them:
If you are waiting until your
faith is stronger before acting in obedience to Jesus, you will never get out
of the starting blocks. The first thing
is to meet with Jesus. Only the people
on the mountain actually met with Jesus.
Even though some had doubts, they were on the mountain. Jesus had said to go before Him to Galilee so
they went -- doubts and all. Jesus still
says to come to Him if we are weary and burdened. Come to Jesus -- doubts and all. If you have not done this yet, you need to do
it now. As I said, not one of us is
guaranteed another day let alone another year, and in addition, Jesus is coming
back soon.
Coming to Jesus is the only way to
be forgiven of our sins and to receive eternal life. It is the only way to become a part of God's
family and one of His children. In
addition, this is not difficult. We see
this in how Jesus treated those on the mountain.
Our text says, "Jesus came
and told his disciples...” (Matthew
28:18, NLT) This translation misses part
of the emphasis of the original. The
original word translated here as "came" means to draw near. Jesus drew near. He approached and spoke to them in a familiar
way. The text is specific in the drawing
near and in the familiarity of His speaking.
It purposefully stresses the closeness and familiarity. It does not say, He preached, chided, rebuked
or exhorted them. It says, “He spoke to
them saying…” It is important for us to
realize that Jesus is approachable. He
is so approachable that Hebrews 4:15-16 reminds us:
For we
do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but
one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the
throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of
need. Hebrews
4:15-16, ESV
In review, we have seen that we
need to come to Jesus and now we see that we can approach God boldly because of
Him. Notice, that we can do these things
along with whatever goals we might set and whatever New Year’s Resolutions we
might make. However, what Jesus says
next requires more consideration.
Jesus said, "I have been
given all authority in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18, NLT)
This is an incredible statement. He has been given all authority. He is exalted above all rulers, nations,
principalities and dominions. He has the
name that is above all other names. His
is the final word in the universe. If He
tells the sun not to shine, it will not shine.
If he tells the stars to move around and mix it up a bit, they will move
around and mix it up a bit. If He tells
Mount Rushmore to move to California, it will move. He has that kind of authority. He has the authority to tell the angels what
to do.
Isaiah 9:6 says of Him:
For a
child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah
9:6, NLT
Now with that kind of authority,
what do you think His concern is? He
does not say, "Therefore, go and get me the nicest chariot in the world
and set up a throne in Jerusalem."
Although that day is coming, that was not His first concern. Remember what Philippians 2:6-8 tells us
about Him?
Though
he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he
took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled
himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians
2:6-8, NLT
Now, we are His disciples and
followers. We are expected to follow His
example. His first concern is that we
should make disciples. Why is this?
Jesus told us:
Jesus expects us to do the
same.
We live for ourselves, looking out
for number one.
I have heard people say,
"Surely, God wants me to be happy.” This is usually in the context of justifying
some lifestyle decision that is disobedient to the clear Word of the Lord. I heard this from another preacher and I
think it is worth passing on.
Let me
see if I understand you. God sent His
Son into the world to be spit upon, scorned, ridiculed and crucified, but YOU
He wants to be happy. Is that about
right?
Of course, God is interested in
our eternal happiness. This is why James
1:2 tells us we can rejoice when we encounter trials. The Bible is clear. We can expect hardship and even suffering on
this side of heaven.
Let me ask you something. If Jesus thought that others were important
enough to die for, should we not also consider them important? I am shocked at how much our convenience shapes
our relationship with God.
In calling us to make disciples,
Jesus was calling us to live for others.
In calling us to teach others all that He had taught, He is calling us
to be like Him. His words are:
"Therefore,
go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach
these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always,
even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20, NLT
I see in this a call to be like
Jesus, to continue the work He started.
In summary, we have said we need
to come to Jesus for life, approach God boldly because of Him, and finally
Jesus has commissioned us to be like Him.
In the coming year, I want to be more like Jesus. Join with me in praying for this.
Joe, this was great. I learned something that I had never considered before, that being where those 500 disciples who saw Jesus at the same time had been gathered after His resurrection. AND I, too, want to be more like Jesus this year, not Peter, Paul, James or John.
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