November 28, 2019
Do You Know Your Life's Mission? Be a Disciple Who Makes Disciples!
Matthew 28
Neil Curran
Central Truth
Your life's mission, if you chose to accept it, is to be a disciple who makes disciples. It is an intentional choice. I am thankful Jesus called me to follow Him. He's called you, too. It's His Great Commission.
Key Verse | Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Matthew 28
The Resurrection
1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he 1 28:6 Some manuscripts the Lord lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
The Report of the Guard
11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.
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 2 28:19 Or into 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.”
Dive Deeper | Matthew 28
How do you evaluate your life? What's your purpose in life? The Lord Jesus Christ has given us clear directions. We are to follow Him out of grateful hearts for all He has done, is doing, and will do for us. He is with us always. It's not called "The Great Suggestion" or "The Big Idea." It's "The Great Commission."
There are other places in the Bible where the Great Commission is taught. In Acts 1:8, again just before Jesus ascends into heaven, Jesus said we would be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. In John 21:15-19, we find the pastoral version. Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?" When Peter said "yes," Jesus told him to feed His lambs . . . tend His sheep . . . feed His sheep. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and we are part of His flock.
I learned by studying the Bible under good teachers and in small group settings. I hope you will find this helpful in your own life journey. I found key characteristics of a disciple and an acronym to recall them: FLOCKS.
Faith. You must Believe in Christ. Life starts here. (John 3:16)
Love. Demonstrate your love for one another. This is best done in small groups (Belong) for encouragement and accountability. (John 13:35)
Obedience. Learn. Study. Be trained. (John 14:15)
Commitment. Follow Him diligently. (John 12:24-26)
Keep Abiding. Stay connected to Jesus to produce much fruit. (John 15:4-5)
Service. Be Strong in a life of service. (John 13:4-5)
We are blessed to be a part of a community of believers at Watermark, which provides many opportunities to know, understand, and live out Jesus' teaching. The key characteristics of discipleship are also captured in Watermark's 4 Bs.
The disciples you help may be different throughout life. They may be little children, teens, or adults. It is a lifelong mission. Your mission.
Discussion Questions
1. How can you become a better disciple? How can you become a better disciplemaker?
2. Which aspect(s) are you strong in when following Jesus: faith, love, obedience, commitment, keep abiding, service? In which aspects do you need to improve?
3. Look up each of the passages mentioned above from the Gospel of John and do your own Bible study on FLOCKS.
4. In what ways can you fulfill the Great Commission in your family? Work? Community?
5. Did you notice in Matthew 28:18-19 that Jesus, the Messiah, placed Himself on an equal level with the Father and the Holy Spirit?
6. How does it make you feel that Jesus promised "I am with you always" in Matthew 28:20?
7. How has the study of Matthew changed your view of Jesus as the Messiah and King?