Christ's Sovereign Commission - Matthew 28:16-20

Good morning, it's good to see everyone here. As Micah said a couple weeks back, we started the Gospel of Matthew back in January of 2023. It's been quite a run, and this morning I find myself at an unusual place because I don't believe I've ever been in a position in the rotation where I've actually had the opportunity to actually wrap up and end a book that we've been studying for so long.

But here I am.

So if you've got your Bibles today, let's go ahead and turn to the Gospel of Matthew one last time. We're going to be in Matthew chapter 28, verses 16 through 20, the very last closing verses of this great Gospel.

Christ's Sovereign Commission and the Final Verses of Matthew 28

The title of this message is Christ's Sovereign Commission. Now if you were here last week in our previous study in Matthew chapter 28, we find that after the crucifixion, the priests and the Pharisees had gone to really great lengths to try to thwart God's sovereign plan.

They were very much aware that Jesus Christ had predicted His own resurrection, that He would indeed raise from the dead on the third day, and so they urged Pilate to place a guard at the tomb. They sealed the tomb with a large and movable boulder to keep the disciples from stealing His body and proclaiming His resurrection.

But as we found out last week, this plan would start to quickly fall apart when they began to receive disturbing reports from eyewitnesses of Christ's resurrection. And with the angels' proclamation here, and the women of course bearing witness to the empty tomb, we see that word of Christ's resurrection was spreading very quickly, and they began to lose control of their own narrative.

So the religious leaders would pay out a desperate bribe to try to maintain control over their false story. But we also found out that this was for naught. Their story would not stand the test of time, and the truth of Christ's resurrection of course would not be stopped as the gospel then would be unleashed throughout the Roman Empire.

Now this brings us to the Gospel of Matthew, to a point where now it's at its rightful conclusion. Where we find in Matthew now pivoting one last time to the words of Christ, where Christ would present us with this sovereign commission.

So let us take a look now at our passage this morning. Let's look at Matthew chapter 28, verses 16 through 20. Matthew records this for us. He says, then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.

When they saw Him, they worshipped Him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded.

You.

And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. So now as we examine the closing verses here of the Gospel of Matthew, we will consider really what Christ now is expecting of us in the following four points of this message this morning.

The first point that I would like to bring your attention to is a divided reaction. We're going to see this very clearly in Matthew chapter 28, verses 16 and 17. This will bring us to the second point where we will be dealing with Christ's sovereign authority.

This will be really, we'll be zeroing in on this particular point in Matthew chapter 28, verse 18, which will then convey over to the third point where Christ will be giving us three divine commands. This is seen in Matthew chapter 28, verses 19, all the way to the very first part of verse 20.

And then I wanted to put a fourth point in this message this morning as well, which is Christ's abiding presence. We see this at the very end of the Gospel of Matthew, the last part of verse 20. Now you know in Matthew chapter 28, verses 16 through 20, we find now the culmination of Matthew's Gospel.

And in this dramatic conclusion, we find now a risen Christ bestowing a sovereign commission to His disciples after His resurrection. For the resurrection of Christ was not just one more miracle among the many miracles that Christ had performed, but rather what we see here is that it was much more than that.

It was a miracle that really kind of, really was the capstone of Christ's earthly ministry. And of course it was ushering in our eternity with Christ. We also find that it was a dramatic fulfillment of Old Testament scriptures as well.

The prophet Daniel, in fact, foretold in Daniel chapter 7, verses 13 and 14, where Daniel said this hundreds of years before. He said, I was watching in the night visions and behold, one like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven.

He came to the ancient of days and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages would serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away and His kingdom, the one which shall not be destroyed.

We also see a very clear demonstration here of God's redemptive plan in this passage, which really emphasizes in really stark terms how God's sovereignty and salvation is critical in our faith. Because in Christ's resurrection, what we clearly see is that His authority is not earned, but it is divinely given.

And what we find here is that Christ's sovereign commission here is not a human initiative at all, but it is a divine mandate that is rooted in the effectual calling and the perseverance of the saints.

So in these closing verses now, we see a risen Christ calling on believers to proclaim the gospel, trusting in God's power to save and not their own, all the while practicing believers' baptism as an ordinance of obedience in our identification with Christ.

So Christ's sovereign commission here reveals His absolute authority. And of course, we see that this commission commands us to make disciples through evangelism and baptism and teaching. For in the end, He would conclude His call with an assurance of His abiding presence under the banner of God's sovereign grace.

And this is my sincere hope that evidence of these things will be readily seen in our own church body as well. So let us now examine the opening point of our message this morning where we find a divided reaction.

The Disciples' Worship and Doubt in Galilee

You know, when we look at the very first part of our passage, we find the 11 remaining disciples now, they're coming to Jesus. We really need to remember that Christ's mission, which is really noted in Matthew chapter 4 verse 15, talked about it, referred to this location of the Galilee of the Gentiles.

And as such now we find the risen Christ now returning to the very place where it all began. For their part, the remaining disciples, they proceed to Galilee as they had been directed to do. And so this now really brings us to Matthew chapter 28 verses 16 and 17 where we find this divided reaction here marked by a joyful response of worship but tempered with some noticeable doubt.

And as we seek to reconcile this divided reaction, some important observations emerge from these.

Verses.

One such observation, of course, is the coexistence of worship and doubt. Again in Matthew chapter 28 verses 16 and 17, the disciples meet the risen Christ in all of his glory and with none of his human limitations.

And we also see on the morning of his resurrection that Jesus, he ordered his disciples to meet him on the mountain of Galilee. We see this in Matthew chapter 28 verse 10 as well as in verse 16 as well.

And this appears to be part of a prearranged plan. So Jesus arrives to Galilee first and he waits for his disciples. And when they see him, Matthew says that they worship him. However, in Matthew chapter 28 verse 17, we find that they worship Christ but there's some who doubted nonetheless.

Another thing that's readily seen in their worship is they clearly recognize the risen Jesus. They bear witness to the fact that he's indeed more than human at this point, being in a glorified body. And they understand that he is worthy of reverence and adoration as well.

So they had that part of worship nailed down pretty good. However, also seen in this passage is Matthew affirms that Jesus here is the Son of God who deserves worship in the fullest sense. But we also find ourselves also having to consider this question of, is how can the disciples worship and doubt at the same time?

I mean when we consider this question here, I mean could it be a situation where maybe the disciples were questioning whether this was in fact the risen Jesus? Or maybe their doubt was motivated by a concern that maybe Christ wasn't willing to forgive them because if you remember, they had actually abandoned him at the end game.

It could be a situation where maybe there was some lingering doubt as to whether they should be worshiping a glorified version of Jesus. Or maybe it was a situation where there were other doubters of a different group of people maybe that were in the audience.

However, when we take a look at Matthew chapter 28 verse 17, we see no indication of the doubters represented a distinct group. So it would appear that the disciples are included in this reference of those some people who doubted here.

So the 11 disciples, they have faith enough to worship Jesus, but yet we see that they still hesitate a little bit. And in the end, this confluence of faith and joy and hesitation, it's really common in the Christian experience when you think about it.

And what we find is this is oftentimes true when humanity encounters a condition where so much happens way too fast that the finite human mind can't conceptualize or process all the experience that they're being subjected to here.

And so we see this collision of human experience where joyful faith collides with this sense of uncertainty and where the human compulsion to worship is obstructed somewhat with hesitation.

Here.

However, despite this divided reaction, what we do see is that the disciples nonetheless they do obey. They follow Christ's instruction, they go to Galilee, and though quite overwhelmed they model submission to Christ's Lordship despite their flawed human condition.

And this really describes a place where each one of us are at as well. Now that we've examined this divided reaction of the disciples, I believe it would also be beneficial for us to also consider the human condition of worship.

In Matthew chapter 28 verses 16 and 17, once again we find a response of human worship that is really afflicted with doubt, with uncertainty, with hesitation here. But this really should be no surprise given the depravity of mankind, I mean given the inadequacy of human endeavor in terms of salvation or for that matter the inability of any of us as Christians to make any spiritual contribution to our fate apart from Christ.

The Christian's human worship condition is afflicted by many maladies. In his treatise entitled, The Mortification of Sin, John Owen, he described the Christian's ongoing struggle with sin and how the Holy Spirit continues to kindle a deep yearning of God's light and glory where he said this, now this is just but one sentence here, it's so profound.

John Owen said this, he says, the soul of man is a dark abyss of sin, yet a spark of divine image remains yearning for God's light. Man, there's a lot in that one sentence. It describes perfectly that struggle of human worship.

Likewise, we find in Psalm chapter 119 verse 105, we find this assurance where the psalmist says, thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. And this is what we see in this human condition of worship on the part of the disciples as they sought transformation and communion with Christ but doing so in a humanly imperfect way.

Even in human weakness, true disciples will bow before the resurrected King, highlighting their total depravity and need for grace to overcome their unbelief. We live in a society that seeks to foster doubt in the things of God.

The very first expression of doubt we find in the Bible is seen in Genesis chapter 3 where we see that Satan was tempting Eve, actually asking, did God actually say that you shall not eat of any tree in the garden?

And when Eve turned around and affirmed what God's command was, even including the promised consequences, Satan would double down and he would reply with a denial, a stronger statement of doubt, so to speak, where he would say, well you surely will not die.

We all know how that story ended and it's a story that continues to haunt each one of us even to this day. In his letter to the church at Rome, we find that the Apostle Paul, he gave us some good advice related to doubt where he said this in Romans chapter 10 verse 17, he said, so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

My brothers and sisters, the remedy for doubt is faith and faith comes by hearing God's.

Word.

God gave us His word as a testimony of His works past, His promises in the future so that we might have reason to trust Him in the present time. So how does this apply to the Christian life? You know, as Christians, we can look at the disciples' divided reaction and kind of take that as a challenge to worship Christ exclusively.

Hence we get this understanding of a sola Christus, which is Latin for Christ alone. And as a church, let us gather together and adore Him despite our human frailties, all the while trusting in His sufficiency and not our own.

Let us not forget that doubts are indeed the experience that's common to all people. Even those with a faith in God sometimes will struggle with doubt on occasion. And this common experience, of course, agrees with another man's testimony that we find in Mark chapter 9 verse 27, for even he said, I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief.

So, contrary to the humanistic view of doubt being essential to life, Scripture tells us that doubt is in fact the destroyer of life. We see this in James chapter 1 verses 5 through 8, which tells us that when we ask God for wisdom that we are to ask in faith and not in doubt.

And likewise, the psalmist, he exhorts us as well in this matter, saying in Psalm chapter 77 verse 11, he says, I will remember the deeds of the Lord, yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. My brothers and sisters, in order for us to have faith in God, we must study His words so we know what it is that He tells us here.

And once we have an understanding of what God has done in the past, what He has promised for us in the present, and what we can expect of Him in the future, I'm here to tell you that acting in faith instead of doubt becomes a lot easier for the Christian.

So we are blessed beyond measure, and let us hold on to that blessing even when doubt sometimes will creep into our lives. Now this brings us to the next point in our message where we really need to consider Christ's sovereign authority here.

Christ's Sovereign Authority in Heaven and on Earth

You know, after chronicling the disciples' first encounter with the risen Christ, Matthew now will pivot to a Christ's authoritative response here to the disciples. This is found in Matthew chapter 28, verse 18.

One thing is for certain, and that is God's sovereignty is highlighted as He has given His Son all authority in heaven and on earth. This was necessary when you think about it, because the proclamation for the gospel is going to challenge us all in the soon to come.

So Christ is really kind of laying the foundation of His authority, the authority by which He will then give us this sovereign commission. So now we also have a couple of important observations that we find in this one verse as well, and it needs to really be taken a look at more closely since we're dealing with Christ's authority.

And more importantly, we need to really look at this as the means for the Christian as.

Well.

We need to consider that here what Christ is saying is that all authority belongs to.

Christ.

It's very clear here. In Matthew chapter 28, verse 18, we find the risen Christ now declaring that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. This is a rather profound statement, and we find in His letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul, he also conveyed similar sentiments where he said this in Philippians chapter 2, verses 9 through 11.

Paul says, he says, therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

So just as the apostle Paul now is echoing this point being made by Jesus Christ here in Matthew chapter 28, verse 18, we find that this authority given to Christ also asserts His divine sonship, and it really compels one to His exaltation.

And all this authority given to Christ is grounded in the Father's decree. It's an authority that underscores God's sovereignty, and it affirms Jesus Christ's deity as well. And this is why the risen Christ would make this proclamation prior to the commissioning of His disciples, why?

Because the Gospel evangelism will always flow from Christ's kingly rule and not by human effort. So this claim here to all authority in heaven and on earth, it's an important one because it will become the central theme of this great commission.

And it will be the driving force for the spread of the Gospel, and it will be the foundation for which Christ uses to build His Church. And the final analysis here, Christ is Lord over salvation. He is Lord over all nations, and yes, all of recorded history as well.

And with that said, another important thing that really warrants our attention is that Christ's proclamation here should be looked at in view of God's eternal decree. Another thing to be considered in Matthew chapter 28, verse 18, is that Christ's claim to have been given all authority illustrates this grand tapestry of God's eternal decree.

This truth is affirmed in the Reformed Baptist tradition through chapter 3 of the 1689 London Baptist Confession where we're told this, we're told that just as God has appointed the elect to glory, so He has by the eternal and completely free purpose of His will foreordained all the means.

Therefore, those who are elected being fallen in Adam or are redeemed by Christ and effectually called to faith in Christ by His Spirit working at the appropriate time. Now look at this. They are justified, adopted, sanctified and kept by His power through faith to salvation.

So just as Christ is being given all authority here in heaven and on earth, we also find this to be at the center of God's redemptive history. Christ's given authority was not a reaction to some act of man, but rather it was a sovereign act that was foreordained since the beginning of time.

It was foreordained by God's eternal decree where the triune God would orchestrate salvation for His people. For in the end, Christ's authority is absolute and it is eternal and it also has an important life application as well.

You know as Christians we must submit to Christ's Lordship in all areas of our lives. I mean this is obviously easier said than done. We should proclaim the Gospel when opportunities come our way and of course we should understand that the outcome of such interactions rests on His hands and not ours.

So there is really no need to fear. We also need to recognize that from eternity past the Father chose and ordained His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to serve as the mediator between a holy God and a fallen humanity.

This is our great blessing and one that we should be mindful of. It's one that we should be thankful of and it's one that we should of course take much comfort in as well. Christ's death, burial, and resurrection was never an afterthought but it was a covenantal agreement within the Godhead where Christ was appointed the prophet, the priest, and the king, the head and the Savior of His church and the heir of all things and the ultimate judge of the world as well.

And this is why Christ was given all authority on heaven and on earth. So let us take this eternal truth to heart and let us be assured that while we are in Him He is also our Lord and He is our Savior.

So now that Christ has laid out the basis of His authority we now come to the next point in our message now where He's going to start moving towards these three divine commands that He's giving to His disciples and by extension to us as well.

The Great Commission: Making Disciples, Baptizing, and Teaching

Now as we move into the next passage here we find that the Great Commission is grounded in the triune nature of God where Christ makes this proclamation. He says, "'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all the things that I have commanded you.

And lo, I am with you always, even until the end of the age.'". You know we need to remember that Jesus Christ here He gave this command to His disciples shortly before His ascension into heaven. And of course while this is indeed a Great Commission I would submit that this really represented Christ's sovereign commission here.

After all this commissioning of the New Covenant it has always been foreordained since the beginning of time. And in these verses it essentially outlines what Christ expected of all believers, not just His disciples.

Let us examine these three divine commands more closely. Where our first command really defines the scope and the reach of the gospel where we see to go to all nations and make disciples. In Matthew chapter 28 verse 19 now we see that Christ now begins to lay out a gospel mission that is global in its focus.

This is a radical departure from the Israel-centered Old Covenant to the New Covenant which would cross geographical boundaries. It would supersede ethnic barriers. It would be foundational to the bride of Christ which is identified as the church.

Now when we look at the original Greek narrative here in these verses, specifically in Matthew chapter 28 verses 19 and 20 we find that the only direct command really being given is to make disciples here.

So how then are we to make disciples? I mean we accomplish this by baptizing them and teaching them in all that Jesus has commanded. And what we find here in Christ's sovereign commission is making disciples is the primary command whereby going and baptizing and teaching are the means by which we fulfill that command.

So it's all interconnected here when we look at this passage. Another interesting point we find is early in the book of Genesis. We see God's sovereign plan coming into full view especially as it relates to the gospel's reach where we read this in Genesis chapter 12 verse 3 where the writer says, "'I will bless those who bless you.

I will curse him who curses you.'". Now focus in here, "'And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'". "'All the families of the earth shall be blessed.'". So early on even at the beginning of time here we're seeing a very global focus on what the gospel's reach would become.

Not only do we see this sovereign commission here at the beginning of time but we find its reach going all the way through and focused to the end of time as well. When you look at Revelation chapter 5 verse 9 we see the apostle John in the closing book of the Bible saying this, he says,.

"'And they sang a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seal, for You were slain and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.'".

So again we see another comprehensive global emphasis of the gospel's reach from Genesis all the way through Revelation. So God's sovereign plan here is to make disciples and it always had a global focus.

It was foreordained since the beginning of time and it was always meant to be a gospel-driven effort from beginning to end. Let us not forget that all these things continue to remind us that we too will play an active part in God's sovereign effort here.

And this effort we will see comes to fruition as God draws His elect from every people group through His preached Word. The same imperative was also addressed by the apostle Paul again in his letter to the church at Rome where he proclaimed in Romans chapter 10 verses 14 and 15 where he says, "'How shall they then call on Him in whom they have not believed?

And how shall they believe in Him in whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? How shall they preach unless they have been sent?'. As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things.

So let us engage in this noble cause. Let us always be inclined to personal and corporate witness. And let us, of course, plant confessional churches along the way whether it be through our giving or by the direct call as God sees fit.".

Now this brings us to Christ's second divine command here which is rooted in very deep theological meaning where we're commanded to be baptized in a Trinitarian name. Now what do I mean here? I mean baptism has always had a place in the life and the times of the New Testament church.

It's a church ordinance and of course Christ provided us with a wonderful example of this triune nature in this rite of passage. We see this in Matthew chapter 3 verses 16 and 17 where Matthew records Christ's baptism where he says that when he had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water and behold the heavens were opened up to him and he saw the Spirit of God which is the Holy Spirit descending like a dove and alighting upon him which is God's Son and suddenly a voice came from heaven which was the Father's voice saying that this is my beloved Son whom I am well pleased.

So baptism is a divine command. It's grounded in God's and Christ's sovereign commission here and it is an ordinance where the immersion of believers serves as a sign of our union with Christ and His death, burial and resurrection.

And what makes this divine command here so profound is because it is an ordinance that seals the covenant community of regenerate believers. And it does this under the auspices of a triune God which reflects the limited atonement that's applied to believers.

Now if I may let us conclude this point with one final divine command if I may and that is where Christ is telling them to, teaching them to observe all commands. In the first part of Matthew chapter 28 verse 20 now we find the last divine command in Christ's sovereign commission here and this is a command of discipleship which really essentially involves comprehensive instruction in the scriptures.

So scripture is the source of our instruction and it is to be taught with a spiritual intensity. It turns of course this in turn points us to yet another foundational doctrine that's known as sola scriptura which is Latin for scripture alone.

Sola scriptura is that Latin term for scripture alone and it's a foundational doctrine of the Reformation. It really came into prominence in the 16th century. It's something that has kind of anchored Christians throughout the ages.

And what we also find is that Christian doctrine of sola scriptura, it maintains that the Bible is the sole infallible source of authority for the Christian faith and practice. It supersedes tradition, it supersedes man-made church authority, it supersedes human interpretation especially at points where it conflicts with scripture.

And as such of course we should allow this doctrine to lead us as well in sanctification and in perseverance. And as Reformed Baptists we also find catechisms, preaching, church discipline as helpful resources to foster our obedience as well.

So how do we make this a matter of life practice? I mean what does it look like for us today? You know as Christians I think we need to realize that we do live in a pluralistic world and as such we must evangelize faithfully, we must baptize converts, we must disciple them in sound doctrine all the while having our efforts empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit.

You see evangelism again, it flows from Christ's kingly rule, not human effort. Christ is the Lord over salvation, he's the Lord of all nations and of course all of history as well. As a body of believers we find ourselves bound together in Christ.

We affirm this authority where it extends to church ordinances like baptism and communion which is extended and practiced amongst professing believers. So Christ's sovereign authority here and sovereign commission is quite clear and that is to go therefore and make disciples.

And just as this word therefore directly links Christ's authority to the mission at hand, what we do find here is that we participate in Christ's sovereign commission making missions and outflowing of grace and not legalism.

Christ's sovereign commission directs us to make disciples as we go on our own pilgrimage throughout every season of our life where we are directed to make disciples maybe whereas God takes us to different places and as we cross paths with different people, God wants our obedience but the outcome is His and let us never forget that it is us who play a part of God's sovereign plan and not our own.

Christ's Abiding Presence and the Enduring Promise of Immanuel

Now this brings us to one last final point here if I may and that is this point that's really kind of grounded in an abiding hope and that hope is Christ's abiding presence. You know it's interesting but in the closing words of the Gospel of Matthew we find this spiritual crescendo so to speak in Christ's sovereign commission and in those words we find Christ now giving us an assurance and also giving us a promise of His presence that will go along with us throughout every season of our life.

And it is through this abiding presence that really enables us as Christians to abide in Christ which of course we will look at more closely here in our final observations this morning. You know when you think about the abiding presence it enables us to abide in Christ and of course one aspect of this is the assurance of Christ's abiding presence here.

In the last part of Matthew chapter 28 verse 20 we find Christ now proclaiming both an assurance and a promise shortly before He ascends into heaven. And in this proclamation He would first frame the closing words with this assurance of His abiding presence.

He would say, and lo I am with you always. A very definitive and assuring statement. I mean this assuring statement it enables us to abide in Christ which is a central proof of our salvation. This assurance is constant.

It is an unflinching truth. It's an assurance that will always be with us. It's a presence that never leaves us and of course when perseverance is required we will find it there when we are challenged to maintain a sustained abiding in Christ.

In his letter to the Philippians once again we see the Apostle Paul reinforcing this assurance of Christ's abiding presence where he said this in Philippians chapter 1 verse 6. He says, being confident in this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

There's no break in God's ownership here. There's no break in Christ's dedication here to His purpose. So this assurance essentially will bring forth much fruit in our lives to the glory of God the Father.

And for those of us who fall away or maybe they turn their backs on Christ or fail to abide in Christ we find this to be a demonstration of a lack of saving faith. Let us not forget that abiding is not what saves us but rather it's one of the signs, the sure signs of salvation.

Essentially this guarantees the perseverance of the saints which is a central tenet of Reformed Baptist doctrine. And in this doctrine we see that Christ here will take His church and preserve His church through trials and also to ensuring the success of the gospel mission despite any opposition that may come our way.

In this assurance of Christ's abiding presence it fuels our hope in God's unchangeable decree. So now this brings us to one final observation here where we found a resounding end to the gospel of Matthew and Christ's sovereign commission which we see this promise of Christ's abiding presence.

Again, in the very last part of Matthew chapter 28 verse 20 we find Christ now concluded His thoughts with this enduring promise saying, even to the end of the age. Christ's abiding presence has staying power.

It does not leave us. It is a lasting promise. It is an enduring promise. And this is a promise that doesn't have a spiritual expiration date here. And it takes us back full circle to the opening chapter of Matthew which we see in Matthew chapter 1 verse 23 where Matthew recorded, behold the virgin shall be with child and bear a son and they shall call His name Immanuel which is translated what?

God with us, Christ's abiding presence. So in these closing words we find a return to the very same promise that was conveyed by those angels who had announced Christ's coming to earth in the form of a little baby in a manger.