All That Jesus Taught Bible Study - Part 6 — Zac Poonen

The Neglected Second Half of the Great Commission

We continue our study today on all that Jesus taught Based on Matthew 28 verse 20 Where in the Great Commission Jesus said After making disciples of all nations and baptizing them in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit We have to then go on from there to teach them to do all That he had commanded and taught so this as I've said in our previous sessions is the neglected half of the Great Commission the first part of the Great Commission Mark 16 15 is Generally being done more by Christians than the second part.

Because when we think of this phrase all that I have commanded you It covers a wide range of subjects wide Range of areas where We need to first of all do what Jesus has commanded us in our own lives and then Teach others also To do it.

Otherwise the Great Commission remains incomplete. Jesus was a carpenter for the first part of his life up to the age of 30 and I Want to use an illustration from a carpenter shop Supposing Jesus as a master carpenter gets an order some business that wants a hundred tables to be made and Jesus employs a lot of carpenters, let's say ten carpenters and Nine of them spend all that time making just the legs of Those tables now legs are very important.

You can't have a table without four legs for each of them so at the end of a number of weeks you have multitudes of legs there and Supposing there's just one man making the tabletops. We're going to have a tremendous disproportion of the number of legs to the number of tabletops and very very few Completed tables you may have hundreds of legs and perhaps three or four tables.

So if you were employed now as a carpenter to go into that shop, what would you do? What would the Lord tell you to do? I think he'd tell you forget about legs now make some tabletops So that we can have completed tables.

This is a picture of What is happening in a lot of Christendom today? Many are being converted praise the Lord for that many are going into unreached areas with the gospel at Great sacrifice many are laying down their lives for preaching the gospel.

We respect them appreciate them and I believe their reward will be great. They have fulfilled their calling but there are other parts of the body that need to carry on from there and complete the work and that is the second half of the Great Commission to make these converts into disciples and Teach them to do every single thing that Jesus commanded.

Is that something we can ignore? For example, Jesus said that no man can serve two masters. He said that in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew in chapter 6 and And Matthew 6 and verse 24 no one can serve two masters.

Those two masters are not God and Satan. Now I know that Satan is the master of many people but that's not the one Jesus was referring to. Because no Christian believes that he can serve God and Satan and no one attempts to do that.

Christian does not do that. But here the two masters mentioned in Matthew 6 24 are God and mammon. Mammon means money material wealth material possessions real estate stocks and shares. Houses lands cars, etc.

And he said you cannot serve both of these. But there are many Christians who feel that they can serve God and material wealth. But Jesus said you have to have a radical attitude Towards one or the other if you want to serve.

He said you've got to hate one and love the other or Hold on to one and despise the other. Now how many Christians do you think have understood what it is to hold on to God and Despise and hate money and say I want to use money as my servant.

But I won't let it be my master. Would you say all those who've been converted through evangelism have come to that place or Jesus said about Plucking out our eye right eye if it stumbles us in verse 29 and causes to lust after a woman.

How many Christians do you think have even been taught that how many preachers have lived that life before they are able to teach it? There you see How these tables are incomplete the work of the Great Commission is incomplete so that's why we're looking at This neglected part of the Great Commission all that Jesus taught so we were looking at the temptations where we read the first recorded words of Coming out of Jesus mouth after his baptism and anointing with the Holy Spirit.

We looked at His first words man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of God's mouth and the second word where he corrected Misquotation of the devil and Balanced it with another reference in scripture in Matthew 4 7 saying it's also written You shall not put the Lord your God to the test and today we want to look at the third word that Jesus spoke to Satan when Satan asked him to bow down to him and said as It were you have come here to get all these kingdoms of the world back to God, okay?

He showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their glory in a moment of time, and he said I'll give you all these. If you fall down and worship me in Luke's gospel chapter 4 in the parallel passage Satan says all these have been given to me.

They are mine. But I'll give them to you. How did Satan get them? Adam Handed it all over to Satan in the Garden of Eden. God had given Adam authority to rule over everything on the earth, but the moment Adam bowed down to Satan and Did what Satan told him to do?

He handed over what God had given him to Satan and ever since that day Satan has had that and Jesus says and he told Satan I'll give this. Satan told Jesus I'll give this to you if you will bow down and worship me.

The Origin of Pride and the Demand for Worship

That's what he has always wanted Satan. That's what made him the devil when he was the head of the angels. Created by God beautiful full of wisdom the highest position in the universe. Long before man was created you read the history of this highest angel in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28.

We don't know his name. He's only called the Morning Star in his eyes. I have 14 which is Translated as Lucifer in Latin or some language and so that's name has stuck to him, but that's not his name. We don't know his name, but this head of the angels.

He Wanted the angels not to worship God but to worship him. That's what he says in Isaiah 14. I will make myself like God. Remember this. That this is how sin originated when someone wanted worship when someone wanted to rebel against God when someone's heart was lifted up with pride and wanted the angels to admire him.

This is the origin of sins. The first sin in the world was not murder or adultery. It was the desire to get other people to admire you and if you have that Whoever you are, even if you call yourself a Christian or a preacher you want people to admire you and not Christ.

You are walking in the way that Satan walked. It's a dangerous path because it finally leads to hell. And that's what we see here. He couldn't get it then he was cast out from heaven, but now he tries to get it again fall down verse 9 and worship me and Jesus said be gone Satan.

Matthew 4 10 for it is written. You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him only. There's only one person We must worship. We can make the mistake of worshipping Glorious beings and great servants of God.

Worship Belongs to God Alone

We read in the book of Revelation that even the great apostle John made this mistake in he saw this angel and he fell down to worship him. And Revelation 22 and verse 8 He says when he saw these wonderful things that was revealed in the book of Revelation.

He says I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel. Imagine the Apostle John 95 years of age. Having known the Lord for so long could make this mistake of admiring this mighty servant of God. Any of us can make that mistake of admiring some mighty servant of God to the point where our contact with God himself becomes through that servant.

Wherever a preacher or a pastor seeks to be a second mediator between God and man. You've got to be careful. The Old Testament prophets were people who communicated God's will to man. But in the New Covenant There is only one mediator between God and man that is the Lord Jesus Christ.

You don't need a pastor or a preacher or any man of God to be a second mediator between Christ and you. You don't need Mary you don't need anybody else. You can go directly to Jesus and through him to the father but We can make a mistake here.

John made a mistake, but here you see the faithfulness of this mighty angel. He says don't do that. Where are the preachers and pastors and Christian leaders who will not allow other? Christians to be attached to them who will push them off and say don't get attached to me be connected to Christ.

That is a true man of God. Whom you can follow without any fear. The one who refuses? To allow you to be attached to him the one who refuses to find God's will for you. But tells you God is your father go to him directly.

He will show you his will as is the New Covenant promise in Hebrews 8 and verse 11 is they shall not teach. Every man his brother saying know the Lord, but all shall know me from the least. That means the one who's newly born again a baby in Christ to the greatest the mightiest servant of God all can know him personally.

So the angel says don't worship me, I'm one of your brothers, I'm fellow servant and You need to worship God. So that's what Jesus said here also in Matthew 4 10 the Bible begins as it with the New Testament begins as it were.

With this phrase worship the Lord your God alone and ends in Revelation 22 verse 9 also worship the Lord your God alone. Don't worship the devil. Don't worship angels. Don't worship human beings. Don't worship any great messenger of God.

The word angel can also be translated as messenger. We can fall down with a messenger of God when he reveals mighty truths. We've got to be very careful. We must honor God's servants. Of course, we must respect and appreciate and express our appreciation to God's servants.

But not worship them not imagine that they are God not give them the place that God alone should have in our hearts. We shouldn't give that place to our husbands wives fathers mothers a Material things are God's servants or anybody we must each have a direct connection with God and that's what Jesus was saying here.

Worship the Lord your God and serve him only. It speaks of an intimate connection. That we have with God directly. Because in the new covenant he has become our father. He's not a distant God like it was in the Old Testament.

Where he could only speak to people through the prophets and if you wanted to find God's will there was no way to find it unless you went to the high priest and he used the Urim and Thummim which is Things that they had in those days to find God's will or you went to the prophet Who could hear God speak to him because God was outside of man those days.

And that's why you hear in the Old Testament you read about God speaking with an audible voice. Because he was outside of man, but now after the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit's come inside. That's why we don't hear God's voice audibly on the outside now.

We hear it from within us through the renewing of our mind by the Holy Spirit. We come to know the will of God so worship of God is something that brings us into a very intimate close relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Worship in Spirit and Truth

And Worship is more than Just speaking words or singing words to God. Let me clarify a misunderstanding that a lot of Christians in fact I would say more than 90 of believers have there is a very common expression used in many churches today for their Sunday morning meeting which is called a worship service or In charismatic and other Pentecostal churches they call it a time of praise and worship.

Now if you want to be completely scriptural and biblical that is a totally wrong expression. That is not worship what they are doing there on Sunday morning. You listen to the words of the songs they sing and everything it is praise and thanksgiving.

It's not worship at all. And if you don't believe me you can take a concordance and look at the word worship as it is found throughout the New Testament. In the Old Testament that was the only way they could express their worship to God clapping and singing and Using instruments etc to sing songs to God but in the New Covenant Jesus said to the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4 and verse 23 and 24 He said the hour is coming and now is when the true worshippers Will worship the father in spirit and in truth.

For such people the father seeks to be his worshippers. God is spirit and Those who worship him must worship him in spirit and truth. John 4 24. So there we read Jesus spoke about an hour that was coming and that he was referring to the day of Pentecost.

It hadn't yet come. But then he also said in John 4 23 now is which means it was already fulfilled in him because Jesus is The first born of many brothers in the New Covenant. He was the one who opened up the New Covenant for us.

So in a sense, he was the first the leader and so that hour had come where there was one man Finally walking on the earth who was Worshipping the father in spirit and in truth that was Jesus himself. Nobody ever had done it before man is spirit soul and body one.

Thessalonians 5 verse 23 tells us that and This indicates when Jesus uses the word spirit here. He was saying that all Old Testament worship up until that point was only in the body and the soul. That means they worship God with their hands raising their hands clapping their hands.

They worship God with their soul, which is using their mind their intellect their emotions they felt joy and Feelings emotional feelings. It's like you have when you sing Songs of praise and thanksgiving in the meaning that was worship in the soul and body.

But he said now you'll come to a deeper level of worship that you can have from now on when the Holy Spirit Dwells in you like he's dwelling in me. Jesus said you will also be able to worship in Spirit and in truth not just in body and soul.

So what do we do today? We still clap our hands and raise our hands we still feel emotional and use our intellect when we Praise God, but beyond all that We worship in the spirit and that means that we penetrate that veil between soul and spirit and enter into that realm where We're alone with God in the Old Testament tabernacle.

The Inner Life of Worship and the Most Holy Place

They had three parts corresponding to body soul and spirit and The last part the closed part covered by the veil was the most holy place where only God dwelt. The outer court they had a lot of excitement with sacrifices being offered in the holy place also number of priests were jostling around each other offering incense and Lighting the lamps etc.

But in the most holy place It was God alone. So when a person entered in the most holy place, he was with God alone. He was not conscious of anybody else. There was nobody else there but him and God. That is worship in the spirit.

Where it's you and God alone and that's something you can do in your room. And it's not something that you do merely with words. One of the finest examples of what a true worshiper Says or his attitude towards God is seen in Psalm 73 and verse 25.

If you can say this honestly to God from the depth of your heart, you are a worshiper. If not, you are not worshiping in spirit. Psalm 73 verse 25 says Oh God. Whom have I in heaven but thee? In other words when I get to heaven God, I'm not looking for the golden streets.

I'm not looking for a mansion. I'm not looking for a crown. I'm gonna be happy and satisfied with you alone. I don't need anybody else. I don't need anything else. But you whom have I in heaven, but thee I Have wonderful brothers and sisters and family members who may be there in heaven, but you are going to be everything for me and Besides thee I desire nothing on earth.

Not only in heaven before I get to heaven here on this earth. I don't desire anything, but you. I Don't desire anything more of material goods than what you've given me. I'm perfectly content. Godliness with contentment is great gain.

A Worshipper never has a complaint about anything on this earth. He's perfectly content with all the circumstances that God has arranged for him. He's content with the family God has brought him into the job.

He has everything he has. He's perfectly content. He desires nothing but God. Like the old saying goes if a time comes in your life where you have nothing but God and everything else is lost. You'll find that God is more than enough.

So this is true worship. We're here on this earth. I desire nothing but God. I desire nothing on earth, but you Lord and That is an attitude of heart. And if you don't have that attitude of heart, no matter how emotional you feel When you praise and thank God on Sunday mornings, you're not a worshiper.

You can call it worship and praise, but you're deluding yourself. And Satan's quite happy for you to delude yourself like that because you imagine that you're worshiping God when you're not. But the father desires it says in Jesus said that in John 4 23 the father is seeking for those who will worship him in spirit.

What a longing the father has. Do you have that longing to satisfy your father's heart to be a worshiper in spirit? Then go to Psalm 73 25 and don't rest until those words are the expression of your heart.

That you desire nothing on earth but Jesus Christ. Nothing not even a ministry. Don't find your satisfaction in your evangelism or in your teaching or in your church building or in any ministry or in your money or Your property on anything Lord.

I have you and I desire only you. Would will such a man be a lazy man far from it. Thou shall worship the Lord thy God Matthew 4 10 and serve him. Worship leads on to service, but it'll be much more effective service.

From Worship to Effective Service

The Apostles worship and serve Jesus worship and serve and when you worship it will lead to service. Which will be far more effective than just serving. You see in our communion with God we can say there are four steps.

First of all is prayer asking God for things. Second is Thanksgiving. Thanking God for what he's done for us what he's given us we go one step higher praise prayer thanksgiving praise praises. Expressing our appreciation to God adoring him for who he is.

Not for what he's done. Thanks. We thanksgiving is for what he's done praise is for who he is and then we go to the highest level, which is worship and Worship may be expressed in words like we just said Whom have I in heaven but thee Lord Father and there's nothing on earth.

I desire beside you Lord Jesus words. It could be expressed in song. Where we express to God. All that I have is yours Lord take my life and let it be consecrated. Lord to thee take my silver and my gold not a mite.

Would I withhold take my voice and let me sing always only for my king. Expressing my worship to God in song and the highest expression of worship is silence. Where I'm so taken up with the glory of God that I cannot even open my mouth.

Very very few believers come to that point. Where they are, you know blinded by the light of God in their hearts not in their eyes, but in their hearts like Isaiah and which makes them cry out. Oh Lord.

I'm a sinful man. Like Paul cried out Oh wretched man that I am. I'm the chiefest of sinners that is the expression of a true worshiper who has seen the glory of God and Very very few believers come there and the devil doesn't want you to go there.

He wants you to worship him. Do you know that when you seek for something in the world some gain in the world? You actually have to worship the devil in order to get it. But if you seek the glory of God the kingdom of God God will add to you as it says in Matthew 6 33 Whatever you need to get otherwise we can long to get so many things which God doesn't want us to have and pray for them and Ask for them and we may think we got it and that God has blessed us and some of those material things can be a curse to us and our children.

Seeking God's Kingdom Rather Than Earthly Glory

Jesus said my kingdom is not of this world in Matthew 18 and verse 36. Otherwise, my servants would fight he doesn't fight for earthly things and we don't pray for these things. We believe that if we seek God's kingdom first and our worshipers of God our father He will add to us whatever we need on this earth.

We don't go to the devil to get things. Very often when people saying Lord, give me this give me that give me the other material thing just proving that they're not content with what they have. But as Paul said in Philippians 4 I have learned verse 11 to be content With what I have whether God gives me little or gives me much only a worshiper can say that He seeks God's kingdom and God determines how much of this earth He we should have which will not destroy us.

It's better God decides that too much of things of earth can destroy us if you're not careful. So we need to come before God and say Lord you please guide us in this matter so that we can Worship you and never stop worshiping you and never be distracted by Mammon and the attractions of mammon.

So remember this. That when that when we seek for something of this world and its glory the honor of men. Very often we'll end up worshiping the devil because the devil said to Jesus fall down and worship me.

I'll give you the things of this world and its glory. So don't seek the glory and honor of this world lest you end up worshiping Satan seek the glory and honor of God alone. Not your name, but God's name.

He taught us to pray. Hallowed be your name first. That's the way of salvation. From worshiping Satan unconsciously many believers are worshiping Satan. We need to worship God. Let's bow our heads in prayer our Heavenly Father.

Prayer for True Worship and Contentment

Help us to be discerning in these days of great deception. That we shall really Reverence you and worship you in spirit and give to you that worship of our hearts. By saying to you we desire nothing and no one on this earth, but you we're satisfied with you.

We're satisfied with exactly what you give us of earthly things that we need. We don't need any more. We're content with what we have and we want you more and more in Jesus name Amen.