The Command of Missions Part Three "The Clarification of the Great Commission"

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Matthew 28:16–20 Pastor Rob Kimsey December 10, 2023

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The 11 disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which
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Jesus had designated, and when they saw Him, they worshipped
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Him, but some doubted. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying,
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All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the
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Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you.
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And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
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The Clarification of the Great Commission. In his small book, What is the Great Commission?
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R .C. Sproul explains the biblical basis for missions. He asked this question,
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What is mission? What is mission and what is the principal foundation for the mission of the church?
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R .C. Sproul concluded this in the book, It is God who institutes, sanctifies, and mandates the mission of the church.
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The biblical basis for missions is the Word of God, spoken in divine authority.
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It is the mandate of Christ. The beauty of missions is the wonderful blessing of answering the call of the
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Great Commission given to us by our Lord and the Savior, Jesus Christ.
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The Great Commission passage in Matthew explains the doctrine of the command in a crystal clear way so that you can see the biblical basis for evangelizing locally and supporting missions globally.
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Three instructive and straightforward reasons for missions. We've looked at number one, the context in verses 16 and 17.
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We've looked at number two, the command in verses 18 and 19. And this morning, number three, the clarification in verse 20.
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Three instructive and straightforward reasons for missions. The context, the command, and the clarification.
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There is a connection to genuine salvation and belief that the resurrection took place.
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There's also a connection to our belief and understanding of the resurrection, to our witnessing, to evangelizing, to supporting missions.
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The disciples had entered into the very physical presence of God. Of course, they had spent years with him in his earthly ministry, but they were with a physical flesh and bone presence of the resurrected
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Christ in all his glory, of the transformed body of his glory.
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Jesus prefaced the command of the Great Commission with the claim of authority over heaven and earth to make new converts as the disciples preached, baptized, and taught.
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And with this very same authority today, Jesus still commands you to fulfill this command, the command of the
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Great Commission, to tell the good news to those that don't know. Jesus's words affirm the reality of the
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Trinity. The command is anchored in the theology of the three -in -one nature of the
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Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the role of salvation for the redeemed sinner. The command is also anchored in the first act of obedience for the new believer, baptism.
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A public profession, a public profession that reflects the redeemed sinner's connection to Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.
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A public profession of faith that symbolizes submission to Christ, a willingness to live
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God's way, and identification with God's people, with God's covenant people.
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Three instructive and straightforward reasons for missions. Number one, the context. The context of the resurrection provides a pure and powerful motivation to obey the command of the
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Great Commission. And number two, the command itself. The command and the spoken mandate of the authority of the living word of God rests on the divine authority of Jesus as Savior, Lord, and Judge over all creation.
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And number three, the clarification. The clarification of the command in verse 20 from the risen
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Christ to his disciples. And really this clarification comes in two ways, an instruction and a promise.
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We can rightly observe that the command of the Great Commission starts with making disciples, but the
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Lord is the one who saves people. He's the one that converts people, and then we are to disciple those that God has saved.
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We can rightly conclude that baptism is part of the instruction of the command. Here in verse 20, we see the instruction of teaching new converts what
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Jesus commanded is clarified here by the risen Jesus. The other aspect of the clarification is the amazing promise that the
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Lord will be with his disciples always. Verse 20, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you and behold
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I am with you always even to the end of the age.
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Two ways the command of the Great Commission is clarified, the instruction and the promise.
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So let's deal with the instruction first, teaching. The word
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Matthew records here from the mouth of the Lord is didosco. It's a
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Greek word. It's where we get the English word doctrine. It means teaching, to tell someone what to do, to tell or to instruct, to provide instruction in a formal or informal setting, to teach.
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And what is it that Christ told them to teach? Well, we could answer all that I commanded, and the answer would be no.
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Nope. Good try, but not quite. No, not all that I commanded only.
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What is the instruction? To keep all that I commanded. Yeah, we are told to live out all that has been commanded, to keep all that I commanded, to keep, meaning to persist in obedience, to keep, to observe, to fulfill, to pay attention to, to keep all that I commanded.
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A verb form used mainly to express acts, situations, and in general states of affairs that are dependent on another verb.
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A nuance of the word is to cause a state, a condition, or activity, to continue, to keep.
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This is to hold, reserve, to preserve, specifically to persist in obedience.
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Keep what has been commanded. Commanded, I think we understand, is a military term.
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Same here in the original, to give or leave instructions, to command. This is the idea of order or to give orders.
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So, we can put the sentence together like this, to tell someone what to do in providing instruction in a formal or informal setting so that they may persist in obedience to my instructions and orders.
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But that's still not it though. We have left out the important word, all, pertaining to totality, with focus on its individual components and the big picture.
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Each, every, any, all, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you.
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And the instruction is not devoid of the context. The context of the clarification is the command of the
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Great Commission. The context of the clarification is the command of missions.
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In light of this crystal clear clarification, we need to pause and think about this.
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We need to pause and think about how we are to conduct missions. There are two extremely helpful supporting scriptures that inform and add detail in how missions are to be conducted, 2
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John and 3 John. So, turn to 2 John with me.
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It's right there at the end of your Bibles, right before Revelation, right before the book of Jude. Turn to 2
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John 5, 2 John 5. And as you're turning there,
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I'll give you a little background on this really great letter. 2 John was written to a
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Christian woman and her children for the purpose of exhorting them to walk in Christ's commandments in the knowledge and teaching of Christ, and to give a warning about showing hospitality to or being deceived by false believers, false believers of the
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Antichrist, John will phrase it in such a way. 2 John gives a command against partnering or even accepting those who do not hold to all that Christ has commanded.
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The Apostle John tells us as much in the purpose for the letter, 2 John 5,
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I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another.
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This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. Love means doing what
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God has commanded us. I think we need to just read that again.
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This command to love one another is very clearly explained.
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Love means doing what God has commanded us, and He has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.
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I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world that deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body.
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Such a person is a deceiver and an Antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve.
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Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God, but anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the
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Father and the Son. If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don't invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement.
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Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.
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That's a very important principle to think about. He's saying that if you're of God, you will listen to the apostles.
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If you don't believe in the teaching of Christ, the didasco, the doctrine of Christ, you're not of God.
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And he actually says don't even have that person in your home, let alone partnering with such an individual that has abandoned the teachings of Christ.
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In this letter, John warned the elect lady to abide by the teaching of Christ and to not be deceived by false
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Christians who were actually of the Antichrist spirit. He taught that Christ's commandment was to walk in truth and love with fellow
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Christians. He explained that anyone who does not acknowledge Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh is an
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Antichrist deceiver. John told the woman about Antichrist deceivers that had infiltrated the church.
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And he said that since these deceivers did not abide in the teaching of Christ, meaning they did not continue in the teaching of Christ, that they should not be welcomed into her home or shown hospitality of any kind.
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And that's hard for us to think about. Well, that's not very loving. Love means obeying what
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Christ has commanded of us. He warned that by showing hospitality to a false believer, an
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Antichrist deceiver, that she'd be partaking in their sin. So, the application for us today is that those who do not hold to the teaching, all that has been commanded must not be partnered with in any way whatsoever.
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This is very serious. By extension, those who partner with such false teachers must be avoided lest we participate in the sin.
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And so, this is a helpful, you know, biblical principle that we're drawing out from 2
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John. He says don't have anything to do with such a person that has abandoned Christ's teaching.
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The person who's going around claiming these things, he says don't have anything to do with them.
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They're not for the cause of Christ. They've abandoned the teaching of Christ. Don't even welcome them into your home.
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Very, very serious words. Now, 3 John gives a command for missions as well, but it is the opposite in terms of us, of really telling us who we should partner with.
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So, turn to 3 John. 3 John also in chapter 5, or I'm sorry, in verse 5, 3
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John 5. 3 John was written to a fellow Christian named Gaius to commend his hospitality for those working in the ministry while also naming an unworthy church leader named
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Diotrephes. Yeah, not a person that you want to be.
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And he's rebuking those who are not helping those working for the gospel and violating the principles of Christian hospitality.
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So, 2 John is this warning against partnering or accepting those who don't hold to the teaching or doctrine of Christ.
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3 John is telling us who we should be working with or who we should be welcoming with as they are, you know, exhorted to participate.
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Really, it's a command of Christian hospitality. Hospitality, opening your home to fellow
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Christians is a command in the scriptures. And so, this is what 3 John tells us.
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We see this in 3 John 5, dear friend, you are being faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you.
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They have told the church here of your loving friendship. Please continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases
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God, for they are traveling for the Lord, and they accept nothing from people who are not believers.
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So, we ourselves should support them so that we can be their partners as they teach the truth.
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There's a lot there, very helpful. John commended hospitality toward Christian ministry workers, and he rebuked a lack of, or really a violation of Christian hospitality toward the workers of the gospel in his letter to Gaius.
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The apostle also made the point that intimate relationships are not a biblical requirement.
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You say, well, I want to support a missionary that I know. They're from this church. They're from Montana, right?
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We can't support them if we don't know them. That's not what it says here in the scriptures. Traveling teachers who are strangers to you, participate with them.
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Another really important principle here is that they are traveling for the Lord. Their cause is
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Christ, and because they're traveling for the Lord, they accept nothing from people who are not believers.
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And I think we can probably imply here, they take nothing from people who don't hold to the teaching of Christ.
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Really, really helpful, crystal clear. This is not an interpretive challenge passage.
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He says, partner with those who are for the cause of Christ, even if they're strangers.
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Because these people are from the Lord, they won't take anything from anybody that's not a believer. Anyone that's not a believer is not going to be their partner.
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John commended Gaius for his faithfulness and love toward fellow Christians who were workers of the gospel.
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He condemned any violation of the principles of Christian hospitality toward Christian missionaries by self -professed church leaders.
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And he promised to bring a sharp rebuke against them in person. He basically says, don't worry about that guy.
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I'll deal with him when I get there. But in the meantime, keep supporting the traveling missionaries that are coming through town.
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John concluded by relaying to Gaius a good testimony about a fellow believer named
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Demetrius as an example or role model of hospitality to fellow Christians. These two letters bring added detail and insight to the clarification given in verse 20 of Matthew 28.
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So turn back to Matthew 28. We'll continue to look at verse 20.
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I mean, think about the supporting scripture. The scripture is to interpret the scripture. We cannot interpret the scripture in any way that renders it in conflict with what is clearly taught elsewhere in scripture.
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So as we look at this missionary letter in 3 John and a command to not be around false teachers in 2
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John, we need to think about this. Based on Matthew 28 20, in light of supporting scripture, it's not up to us to do missions as we fit.
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It's not up to us. We don't do missions the way we think it works for us.
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Let's do it this way. That's not how it works. It's up to Christ. The Bible tells us.
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Christ tells us. You know, the idea that we've always done it this way, we've always supported this person.
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Just look at what the Bible has to say and do what the Bible says. Then things will go well.
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The glory of God will shine out from the sanctified truth proclaimed in His Word.
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We must think very carefully about missions. It's not up to us how we do missions. It's up to Christ.
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The Bible tells us. Christ tells us. Do not accept those who reject the teaching of Christ.
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Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have
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God. The one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the
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Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house and do not give him a greeting.
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For the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. Do not accept those who reject the teaching of Christ.
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Instead, partner with those who accept the teaching of Christ. Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever work you do for the brothers and are doing this though they are strangers and they bore witness to your love before the church.
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You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God, for they went out for the cause of Christ, receiving nothing from the
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Gentiles. Therefore, we ought to support such men so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.
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Again, anchoring it back to what's taught in the scriptures. Partner with those who accept the teaching.
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One commentator said this on 2 John, pointing out this strong warning. The test of a true
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Christian and a true preacher is pure doctrine concerning Christ.
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The true church of Jesus Christ has always understood that fact. Those who are loyal to scripture will naturally seek to protect and guard it no matter what that person may claim.
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Anyone who goes too far and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God. The teaching of Christ refers either to his teaching or to the biblical teaching about him, since both are in total agreement.
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False teachers are not content to remain within the confines of scripture, but invariably add erroneous interpretations, revelations, visions, words as if from the
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Lord, or even esoteric distortions of the biblical text while claiming to have advanced knowledge, new truth, or even hidden wisdom available only to them and their followers.
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John plainly states that anyone who alters, adds to, denies, or misrepresents what the
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Bible says about Jesus Christ does not have God. Hospitality for traveling teachers was common in the culture at the time.
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The prohibition here is not to turn away the ignorant. It does not mean that believers may not invite unbelievers, even those who belong to a cult or false religion, into their midst.
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That would be making giving the truth to them difficult, if not impossible. The point is that believers are not to welcome and provide care for traveling false teachers who seek to stay in their homes, thereby giving the appearance of affirming what they teach and lending them credibility.
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An important instruction given to us from the Lord, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you.
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Now let's deal with the promise. He says, behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
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As we ponder Jesus's statements in connection to the command of baptism in verse 19, we can ask a question of the text.
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How is Jesus with us? How is he with us until the end of the age?
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Well, we can see in the eyewitness accounts of the gospels that Jesus was with his disciples physically until he ascended into heaven.
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We can answer this question, I think, in four ways. The first is the immediate context in verse 19 of the command of baptism.
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So we went over this when we preached on baptism, verse 19. Baptism is a wonderful celebration of the
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Holy Spirit's continuing ministry in the regenerated unbeliever's life.
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In the Acts of the Apostles, we see that Christ will be spiritually present through the
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Holy Spirit. Acts chapter 1 says, in gathering them together, he commanded them not to leave
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Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which he said, you heard of from me.
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For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.
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So that we had covered before, but it's an important observation we can't just skip over. The second way to understand the question of how
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Jesus is with us is in the immediate context of the command to uphold the teachings of Christ in verse 20.
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The Holy Spirit would be Jesus's presence that would never leave the disciples and all future disciples.
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Here in verse 20, he is reiterating what he had previously promised. We see this account in the eyewitness testimony from the
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Gospel of John in chapter 14. Christ speaking here, he says, if you love me, you will keep my commandments.
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And I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate that he may be with you forever.
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The spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it does not see him or know him.
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You know him because he abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans.
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I will come to you. After a little while, the world will no longer see me, but you will see me because I live and you will live also.
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On that day, you will know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you.
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He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my
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Father and will love him and will disclose myself to him. Now Judas, not
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Iscariot, said to him, Lord, what then has happened that you are going to disclose yourself to us and not to the world?
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Jesus answered and said to him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word.
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And my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
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He who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word which you hear is not mine, but the
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Father's who sent me. These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you, but the advocate, the
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Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
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Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you.
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Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
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You heard that I said to you, I go away and will come to you. If you loved me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the
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Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.
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I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming and he has nothing in me. But so that the world may know that I love the
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Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded me. Jesus continues to be with us today through his
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Spirit, through the Holy Spirit. The promise of the Holy Spirit in supporting
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Scriptures makes it very clear that the Lord will be with us.
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The third way to answer the question of how Jesus is with us is really the broader context of the
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Gospel of Matthew. Consider how Matthew started. You can turn there if you like.
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It's Matthew chapter 1, starting in verse 18. Consider how Matthew started his eyewitness account of the events of Jesus's earthly ministry.
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Matthew chapter 1, starting in verse 18, it says, now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows.
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When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the
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Holy Spirit. And Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.
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But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,
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Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the one who has been conceived in her is of the
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Holy Spirit, and she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
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For he will save his people from their sins. Now all this took place in order that what was spoken by the
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Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying, behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name
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Emmanuel, which translated means God with us.
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And Joseph got up from his sheep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a son, and he called his name
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Jesus, God with us. There's never going to be a time where Jesus isn't going to be with you, never.
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Think of the bookend here that we see in Matthew chapter 1 verses Matthew chapter 28.
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You can turn back to the end there. One commentator noted this on chapter 28 verse 20. He said, there's a touching echo of the beginning of Matthew's gospel here.
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Emmanuel, which is translated God with us, remains with us even to the end of the age, meaning that until he returns bodily to judge the world and establish his earthly kingdom.
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Now for us, we can look at Matthew's citation here. This is a quote. Matthew's citation here is from, this is chapter 1,
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Isaiah 7, 14, a section of the prophet's promise of the future Messiah, specifically how the people would know when the
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Messiah arrived on earth, the sign of Emmanuel. Then Yahweh spoke again to Ahaz, saying, ask a sign for yourself from Yahweh your
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God, make it deep as Sheol or as high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask and I will not test
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Yahweh. Then he said, listen now, O house of David, is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men that you will try the patience of my
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God as well? Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign.
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Behold, the virgin will be with child that bear a son, and she will call his name
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Emmanuel. He will eat curds and honey in order that he will know how to refuse evil and choose good.
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For before the boy will know to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.
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Yahweh will bring on you, on your people, on your father's house days, which have never come since the day that Ephraim separated from Judah, the king of Assyria.
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This is only one time, all of human history. There is no other religion.
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There is nothing else in all of recorded history of mankind where a prophecy was made that a virgin would have a child, a baby.
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Only that one time, a unique birth. There is no other person that fits the description of the
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Messiah other than Jesus of Nazareth. A unique birth. He says days which have never come since.
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God with us. Jesus will always be with us.
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He has promised. He has said it is so. I love what the
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Puritan Matthew Henry said on this promise from verse 20. He said, believers shall have the constant presence of their
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Lord always, all days, every day. There is no day, no hour of the day in which our
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Lord Jesus is not present with his churches and with his ministers. If there were in that day, that hour, they would be undone.
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The God of Israel, the Savior, is sometimes a God that hides himself, but never a
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God at a distance. To these precious words, amen is added. Even so,
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Lord Jesus, be thou with us and all thy people. Cause thy face to shine upon us that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.
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Praise God. So if we take the context of Christ's birth at the beginning of Matthew's gospel and look at that compared to the way the gospel ends, we see these bookends.
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So that's the third way. The fourth and final way to answer the question of how Jesus is with us is in the even broader context of the entire canon of scripture.
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Supporting passages are of not any dwindling quantity in this regard. And we'll just look at one from the
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New Testament that quotes the Old Testament. The writer of Hebrews, speaking about the kind of sacrifices that are pleasing to God, he says, make sure that your way of life is free from the love of money, being content with what you have.
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For he himself has said, I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.
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So that we confidently say, the Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid.
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What will man do to me? Therefore, Jesus also that he might sanctify the people through his own blood suffered outside the gate.
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So let us go out to him outside the camp bearing his reproach for here.
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We do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the one to come through him. Then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God.
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That is the fruit of lips that confess his name and do not neglect doing good and sharing for with such sacrifices,
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God is pleased. That's Hebrews 13. A general epistle recorded in the
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New Testament that quotes from the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 31, as Moses is speaking on behalf of the
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Lord to a new generation of Israelites before they're about to go into the promised land,
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Deuteronomy 31, six says this, be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or be in dread of them for Yahweh, your
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God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.
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In Joshua chapter one, as the Lord is speaking directly to Joshua, as he takes over for Moses, as the new leader of the people,
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Joshua chapter one, verse five, no man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.
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Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. I will not fail you or forsake you.
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Amazing. In the New Testament, we have a promise. Just as Yahweh was with Moses, just as Yahweh was with Joshua, Yahweh will be with us.
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He says this, Jesus, he's going to be with you forever. He will never leave you.
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He will never forsake you. In the same way Yahweh promised his people and then their leaders that he would never leave them or forsake them.
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Christian, hear me. Jesus has promised you he will never leave you.
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He will never forsake you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
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And in light of this amazing truth, this amazing reality, this amazing certainty, we live out the command of missions.
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It is in the light of this reality that we do missions.
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The clarity in the instruction and the promise bring the Christian to new heights in considering the command of the
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Great Commission. Three instructive and straightforward reasons for missions. Number one, the context, verses 16 and 17.
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Number two, the command, verses 18 and 19. And number three, the clarification in verse 20.
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The clarification. The clarification of the Great Commission instructs us on how we are to conduct missions and promises
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Christ's unfailing presence and enablement to faithfully stay the course.
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The clarification. Of course, the gospel is the first part of a life of sanctification, the new birth, the new creation.
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It is upon a genuine conversion of saving faith that we can then continue the disciple -making process.
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God starts it and then we continue it. God completes it. We make disciples by teaching all that the scripture commands and obedience to the teachings of Jesus.
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First, the gospel. Christ came to the earth as both God and sinless man, for in Jesus, all the fullness of deity lived in a bodily form.
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Christ demonstrated God's love by voluntarily dying on the cross to pay the penalty for sin.
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But God demonstrated His own love for us and that while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us.
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Because God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God.
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That's an amazing reality. That's 2 Corinthians 5. Think about that. When God looks upon you, there is now no condemnation in Christ.
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God doesn't see the sin in you. He sees His Son in you. You are saved forever.
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God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to become sin on your behalf so that you may become the righteousness of God.
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God is the author of salvation. Christ rose from the grave and is alive today.
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He was buried. He was raised by God on the third day according to what the scriptures predicted about Him.
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Sinners must change their minds. We must turn away from all that dishonors God. The wicked can forsake their ways and unrighteous thoughts and return to God.
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He will have compassion on them because God will abundantly pardon them.
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Jesus has declared that anyone who wishes to follow Him must deny their own impulses and be ready to suffer for Christ's name and follow
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Him. Sinners must believe in Christ Jesus both as Savior and as Lord.
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So, as we think about the command of missions, we are helped in the clarification of the
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Great Commission given by the Lord Jesus. He clarifies it for us.
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Now, we've all heard statements regarding teaching and really doctrine or regarding teaching of scripture in comparison to this amazing salvation, the gospel, that God saves sinners.
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And we've heard statements regarding teaching in scripture like, we need to keep the main thing the main thing. I'm sure you guys have heard these kind of pithy statements.
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Or maybe when a popular teacher talks about the gospel compared to other teaching from the Bible, we might hear something like, we need to focus on the major things, not the minor.
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Keep the main thing the main thing. Don't focus on the minors, focus on the majors. We may be tempted to think as long as the gospel is preached, we can all just agree to disagree.
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Who cares if there's error being taught? As long as we know the teaching of Christ, right?
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So, we elevate one section of God's Word to a higher authority or obedience and belief and understanding.
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And I'm not talking about ignorance or somebody that's on a path of sanctification that needs to learn. I'm talking about a pride that's unwilling to learn, that's unwilling to change, that's unwilling to bow down to the authority of God's Word.
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Keep the main thing the main thing. We have invented terms like distinctives or secondary issues.
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We have a section in our constitution that says distinctives. An example of distinctives would be issues like the sufficiency of scripture, a changed life after conversion, the gift of speaking in tongues, the role of men and women in the church, or creation.
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That's just a few. These are just secondary issues that don't affect one's salvation, right?
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That may be true. There can be disagreement over some teaching and the person can be saved.
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You start out one way. I think of so many friends I have that got saved in the Pentecostal movement.
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And God saved them through the gospel, and then they started hearing the teaching of Christ, and they realized,
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I'm saved, but what they're teaching here is not the truth. And then God takes them out of that scenario.
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Just think about that, distinctives and secondary issues. When God speaks, it's with all authority.
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And God doesn't speak in one occasion with less authority than he does somewhere else. It's not up to us to live out in our own context what is taught clearly in the
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Bible, and then claim allegiance to the one who gave the command. Something does not add up here.
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So think about this idea, distinctives, a secondary issue. I'd like to see anyone have a conversation with the apostle
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Peter and tell him the sufficiency of scripture is a secondary issue. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the full knowledge of God and of Jesus our
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Lord, seeing that his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the full knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence.
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For by these he granted to us precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
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Oh Peter, come on man, the sufficiency of scripture is a secondary issue. Keep the main thing the main thing,
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Peter. The scripture is only sufficient for some things. Sometimes the Bible is just not enough, we need more.
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You know, unbelievably, I heard that once in an elder training meeting, and it was about a college -age ministry, and some of the folks were going through some depression, and I was talking about the
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Bible, and one of the elders in training said, sometimes the Bible is just not enough, sometimes you need more than the
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Bible. And that person could go on and be in the pulpit.
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Imagine that, keep the main thing the main thing. Let's see how this conversation goes when you meet
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Jesus face to face, and let him know you can remain the way you were before he saved you.
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Jesus accepts us the way we are, so I'm in Christ now, there's no condemnation in Christ, I can live however
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I want to live. I'll do my own thing. Then Jesus said to the crowd, if any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way.
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Take up your cross daily and follow me. A changed life after conversion is a distinctive, this is a secondary issue,
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Jesus. Don't focus on the minors, focus on the majors. How about telling the apostle
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Paul when he wrote to the Corinthians explaining spiritual gifts, this is only a second tier issue.
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If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
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Love never fails, but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away. If there are tongues, they will cease.
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If there is knowledge, it will be done away, 1 Corinthians 13. Come on Paul, I'm going to still speak in tongues,
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I have the gift of angelic languages, Paul. Oh Paul, you big silly, keep the main thing the main thing,
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Paul. Or how about telling the apostle Paul it was a secondary issue when he gave the restriction for women pastors or women teaching
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Christian doctrine to men. Women should learn, this is what Paul says in his letter to Timothy, women should learn quietly and submissively.
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I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly.
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I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God.
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This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and the foundation of the truth.
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Oh Paul, there you go again, this is a distinctive only, Paul. This is a secondary issue,
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Paul. Don't focus on the minors, focus on the majors. Can you imagine telling
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Moses that his explanation of creation given to him by the divine authority of God as he was moved along by the
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Holy Spirit was a secondary issue? For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.
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Therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Of course, this is a quote from Exodus 20.
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You think, well yeah, but what are we really talking about here? What does it mean, for in six days
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Yahweh made the heavens and the earth? Well, let me help you along here. All of the
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Hebrew, all of the years of training in seminary, let me go into a deep dive of theological exposition for you.
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What does this mean? For in six days God made the heavens and the earth, that's it. We just read it and we believe it.
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It's by faith that we believe it. The word day means, guess what it means? It means a day.
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It means a 24 -hour period. That's it. Imagine that. Come on Moses, keep the main thing the main thing.
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Charles Darwin knows better than you. I don't need to believe in literal six -day creation. It's a secondary issue,
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Moses. How ridiculous is it to say that any single word of God is any less important than the other?
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That does not make sense. It is not up to us to do missions as we see fit.
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It is up to Christ. The Bible tells us, Christ tells us, partnering in missions with those who do not hold to the teaching of Christ is not an option for us.
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And also those that would partner with people that don't hold to the teaching of Christ. Not an option.
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Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.
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All means all. That's the breadth of every word that has been spoken, the revealed word of God in the holy scriptures, the holy
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Bible. All that I have commanded, keep them.
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And this is what we are to teach new converts. So thinking about a missionary that doesn't hold to this or says they hold to it, but they're willing to partner with people that don't hold to it, and then they're going to teach the others to hold to it.
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I mean, just logically, it doesn't make any sense. The Great Commission passage in explains the doctrine of the command of missions in a crystal clear way so that you can see the biblical basis for evangelizing locally and supporting missions globally.
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Three instructive and straightforward reasons for missions. The context of the resurrection provides a pure and powerful motivation to obey the command of the
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Great Commission. The command in the spoken mandate of the authority of the living word of God rests on the divine authority of Jesus as Lord, Savior, and Judge over all creation.
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And the clarification. The clarification of the Great Commission instructs us on how we are to conduct missions and promises
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Christ's unfailing presence and enablement to faithfully stay the course.