Matthew 28:16-20 - The Mission, Goal, & Success of the Gospel

Join us today as we are diving into Matthew 28:16-20 this week, unpacking the mission, goal, and success of the Gospel. Jesus gives His final command to make disciples of all nations, and it’s a call that echoes from the mountains of Galilee to our lives today. We’ll explore how this mission isn’t just a task—it’s the heartbeat of why we exist as His Church. From the authority of Christ to His promise to be with us always, we’re digging into what it means to live this out, whether in our homes, our church, or the world beyond. Join me as we wrestle with this charge, consider its weight, and look to Jesus, our true hope—let’s dig in together!

Transcript

Matthew 28:16-20 - The Mission, Goal, & Success of the Gospel

Intro

• If you have your Bibles please turn with me to Matthew 28.
  • Since our service today looks different than usual…
  • Since we are talking about this REACH ministry that we have helped assist this week…
    • It seems to be a good time to pause and consider the directive of the church and the reason why we do what we do.
• Which is why we are found in the last chapter of the first Gospel…
  • Though it is not the only place in the New Testament we could turn to see this mission outlined, it is perhaps the first.
  • The reality is that the Great Commission is clearly found in the first 5 books of the New Testament.
    • Arguably this mission is found playing out in one way or another in every book in the New Testament.
  • In actuality we could even go back to the Old Testament and see how this mission existed on the heart of God from the start…
    • For example the Psalmist writes in…
    • Psalm 67:1-3 - 
      • “May God be gracious to us and bless us

    and make his face to shine upon us,

2 that your way may be known on earth,

    your saving power among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;

    let all the peoples praise you!"

• From the start God had His sights set upon the nations and it is good for us to be reminded of the task at hand for which all of our efforts should be directed.
• So, with that let us turn to the Gospel of Matthew and read our verses and the command of our Lord. 

Matthew 28:16-20

• As we read these verses today let us first be reminded of the context for which they are found…
  • The book of Matthew was written primarily to the Jewish people, the Jewish followers of Christ.
    • It is why we see it starting with the lineage of Jesus, this would have been the first question of this supposed Messiah…
      • “Was He of the line of David?”
    • So Matthew answers it from the very start.
  • We also find several “mountain top” moments in the Gospel of Matthew that are significant to the life and ministry of Jesus.
    • This would have stood out to a Jewish reader as we often find in the Old Testament God’s people encountering Him on a mountain.
  • Matthew makes much of these moments, and even concludes his Gospel by focusing on the final words of Christ upon this mountain. 
• As far as the immediate context of these verses is concerned…
  • It is important we make a mental note that the Cross has happened, Jesus has died and has risen back to life, and is about to assent to the Father.  
  • In the verses we just read we are left to assume that this is the final moment that Jesus had with His Apostles and the final command He gave.  
• That makes this moment very significant, this was the final command they would receive directly from the mouth of the Lord.
  • In the Bible we often make note of first appearances or first use of words, many times there is great importance found in those observations.
    • However, I think we must also make the same observations about the final moments, this is one of them.
  • It is also important to be reminded here that Jesus knew that this was His final moment, the final command, His final Word to His Apostles and to His Church.
• With that, He took this final opportunity to give us the mission of the Gospel, the goal of the Gospel, and finally the success of the Gospel.
  • Let’s address each one briefly this morning and as we do let us consider all that we are involved in as the Church…
    • Let us consider all our ministries…
    • Let us consider every decision that we make and ask…
  • Does it work toward the mission, does it help fulfill our goal, does it lead to the success of the Gospel?
• Let us start with…

The Mission of the Gospel - Make Disciples

• There exists in these verses one and only one imperative command.
  • We could read through these verses and break down different commanding words…
    • Like, “Go”, “Teach”, “Baptize”...
  • However, the way these verses are structured all of those commands just aid the one central command.
    • The only imperative command given in these verses is “make disciples”.
  • If we were to summarize our mission today or if we were to summarize the work of the apostles in the first century…
    • We could sum it up by simply saying that our job and what they did was “make disciples”.
• This, church, is the mission for which we exist.
  • We are to make disciples, it is what we are to be about, it is what we are to funnel everything through.
  • I want to make this a bit more pointed…
    • If we fail to work toward the mission of making disciples then we have failed at the most fundamental level.
    • Not only that, but it is important to note that our existence as a church is at stake.
  • If we fail to make disciples then we will be found just like the Israelites during the days of the Judges…
    • Do you remember how that book opens up and introduces that terrible time of their history?
      • Judges 2:10 - “And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.”
    • What follows throughout that book is some of the most atrocious sins committed by the nation.
    • There are passages that you will not want to read aloud and it all goes back to the failure to pass along the Words of God to the next generation.
  • The book of Judges exists as a reminder to us about what is at stake if we fail to keep this mission of the Gospel in our view.
    • It is the generations that come after us, it is our children and theirs that will suffer for our disobedience to this final command of Christ.
• Therefore we must be certain that our efforts and actions are directed toward this goal of making disciples…
  • That we would teach people the Word of God and instruct them in word and in deed on how to follow Christ.
    • That is to say our actions must match our message, otherwise it will be all for not.
  • So as we consider this first point let us consider the various activities we participate in and ask, do they help to fulfill or aid in this mission of the Gospel?
    • Let us not just ask today but often so that we are found keeping this mission central to all that we do.
• Our Lord in this moment does not just speak of the mission of the Gospel but He also speaks about…

The Goal of the Gospel - Of All Nations

• The goal is also made evident in these verses…
  • Jesus told the apostles to make disciples “of all nations”.
    • The Greek word used here does not refer to nations as we think of them today but instead aligns more with our understanding of what has been described as people groups.
  • Whereas a nation is divided by physical barriers often people groups are divided by ethnic and language barriers.  
    • Which means that within a nation multiple people groups can and do exist.
• We could at this moment talk about how there are more than seventeen thousand unique people groups across our world.
  • Where I do believe there is a time and place for that conversation it can honestly get overwhelming to consider.
    • Furthermore, I feel as though at this point could distract us from these verses.
  • So instead of talking about the great task that is still before us let me share with you how our Lord will fulfill this mission and how our church should play a part of it.
• The bottom line is that we will fulfill this mission by living obedient to this final command. 
  • The Lord has revealed to us not only His Goal but also His playbook in how He will accomplish it. 
  • He will bring about the obedience of the Nations through our obedience to this command. 
    • Therefore as we give ourselves to making disciples, He will be about accomplishing His purposes through us.
• What I mean is let us not be distracted that at this time we cannot send people into North Korea. 
  • Instead, let us be determined to make disciples in such a way that the next generation…
    • When given the opportunity they are not only ready and able but also willing to make God's glory known among the nations. 
    • This completely turns the typical view of the next generation on its head…
      • How many times do we hear those talking about the next generation with sorrow or with contempt…?
      • How often do we look upon those who are coming up after us with fear for what they will face or decisions that they will make…?
      • Let us realize instead that God has placed before us the next generation to mold and make, to train and disciple.
    • Knowing that as the Church we have the glorious task of raising up the next generation to make them into disciples so that the Glory of God is known among the nations.  
  • As we do we have to realize that within the next generation there exists great potential and great hope…
    • For where we have failed or fallen short we have the ability and the responsibility to pour into them so that our failures will be their success.
    • By the Grace of God my children that God has placed in my care will stand upon my shoulders and do what I never could.
  • This is the parents perspective but consider how this fits with the church.
    • We have young children, we have youth that enter into these doors, let us not waste the time that we have been given with them.
    • Let us realize the potential that exists before us and let us give ourselves to this glorious task.
  • This is not something that we should be discouraged in but rather that we should be encouraged about…
• Too often we talk about this final goal of making disciples as if we are defeated as if we have already failed.
  • Church, this is the final thing we must turn our attention to in these verses…
    • Not only do we have this clear mission, not only do we see this lofty goal, but we also clearly see…

The Success of the Gospel - Authority and Presence of Christ

• We see this in the total authority and continual presence of Christ.
  • As Jesus speaks to His apostles He opens His statement and closes it in ways that show us that this mission will be successful.  
• Jesus opens with the statement…
  • “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
    • Let's realize that this mission and this goal does not actually rest in our abilities or in our strengths.
    • Rather, it exists in the hand of the one who stood in our place.
      • To that I ask, what has our Lord set out to do for which He failed?
      • Is there anything for which He set out that was unsuccessful?
    • Of course not!
      • Our Lord would not task us with something that He would not see through Himself.
      • The beauty of it is that we get to participate in this task that He will see through.
  • Now, please do not think that I mean that we are guaranteed success at every turn…
    • Cleary there will be hardships, there will be those who reject the Gospel, there will be those who pervert it…
      • However, either in our lifetimes or into eternity we will see the obedience of the Nations bowing before their God and Savior.
    • Oh and we get to play a part of it, glory be to God. 
  • So as we obey Christ we go in His authority, but we also must see how He closes out this passage.
• He closes with this statement…
  • “...I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
    • Not only are we blessed with His authority but we are blessed with His Presence.
    • Grab a hold of this with me…
      • This means that no matter how long we go from this moment…
        • Christ is with us…
      • This means that no matter where we are found…
        • Christ is with us…
      • This means that no matter the struggle, the persecution, the opposition, that we or any that come after us may face…
        • Christ is with us…
    • It is the picture of Stephen while he is being stoned looking up and seeing his Lord standing next to the Father.
      • That even as the stones flew and as Luke tells us, “...he fell asleep…”
      • He was never without the Presence of Christ, and neither are we.
• The authority and the presence of Christ is with us as we work toward this goal and as we orient ourselves around this mission.

Closing

• As we close out this time together I want to challenge you in three ways…
  • First, be sure that your life is oriented around this mission…
    • Parents, this is easy to evaluate as you consider how you are raising your children.  
      • Do you read to them the Word?
      • Do you live it before them?
      • Does Christ take precedence in your day to day life? 
    • For those who are not in the phase of life where you are raising children some of the same questions can be considered…
      • Do you read the Word?
      • Do you strive to live the Word?
      • Is Christ a priority in your life?
  • Second, let us be sure that our church is oriented around this mission… 
    • Then, church, we must also consider our weekly, monthly, and yearly activities.
    • Do we prioritize the Gospel mission in all that we give our time and effort to?
  • Third, let us lift up in prayer those God has entrusted to us knowing that He is able to do great things among those He has entrusted to us…
    • If nothing else today I want to challenge you to lift up our young people in your daily prayers.
• There is much we can respond to this day, I urge you to consider it as we close now in prayer.