The Great Commission, the Gospel, and the Church (Mat 28.18-20)

Evangelism Sermon 1 – The Great Commission, the Gospel, and the Church (Mat 28.18-20)

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In the Great Commission, Jesus gives us one of the defining purposes of the Church – to make disciples of all the nations, converting them, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe all that Jesus has commanded. (Mat 28.19-20.) Staggering in scope, the Great Commission is quite literally “mission impossible” apart from the foundation and the promise that go with it. The foundation is Christ’s ownership of all authority in heaven and on earth, and the promise is his pledge to be with us always, even to the end of the age. (Mat 28.18-20.) All of this makes the Gospel an inescapably royal announcement carrying equal parts pledge of royal mercy and demand of royal submission. There is no way for such an announcement to enter the world quietly and without a ruckus. Thus it is especially important that those bringing the royal announcement carry credentials proving both their official position as well that of the message they bring. There must be accompanying demonstration of royal authority. And this is where the other two defining purposes of the Church come into play. What are those defining purposes? Offering praise to God and being his manifest wisdom to the world. (1Pet 2.5; Eph 3.6, 10-11.) In other words, Worship driven by true love to God and Body Life driven by true love to one another. (Mat 22.37-39; John 13.34-35; 1John 4.7-12.) These are the only credentials neither Satan nor the world can counterfeit. These are the power of God in our midst and the power of God for our message. We dare not fail to bring the royal message, and we dare not bring it without our royal credentials. I hope you enjoy the sermon. Thanks for listening. -Alan Burrow

Discussion questions

1. Read 1Peter 1.3-3.22, and as you go categorize the verses in to one (or more) of the following categories:

(1) Gospel – what God has done through Christ.
(2) Worship – thanks and praise to God.
(3) Body life – personal and corporate obedience, holiness, godliness.
(4) Witness – testimony to the world.

Count up how many times Peter touches on each category and how many verses he spends on each. Share your results.

2. How would you describe Peter’s treatment of these categories – does he proceed in a straight line or does he keep cycling through them? Does he see them as discreet categories or as mutually dependent categories that flow into one another?

3. Is there one category that drives all the rest? (1Pet 1.3-7, 18-22, 25-2.3.) What is the relationship between Worship and Body Life? (1Pet 2.1–5.) What is the relationship between Body Life and Witness? (1Pet 2.11-17; 3.8-15.)

4. According to Peter, what strikes at the heart of Worship, Body Life, and Witness? (1Pet 2.1, 11; 3.9.) How do we keep our hearts free of these things? (1Pet 1.22; 2.1-3; 3.8-12.)