Text: John 20:21
Main Point: Jesus is the reason for discipleship.
Big buzz words today are identity and purpose; it is easy to get worked up trying to figure out who you are and what you are supposed to be doing. Two weeks ago, I used 2 Corinthians 5 to define who we are; we are Christians. We are in Christ. As Christians, our fundamental identity is that of being in Christ. Our defining connection is to Jesus. Who am I? I am a Christian. More than my work, my marriage, my family, and my friends, I am a Christian. I belong to Jesus and get my life from him. My strongest connection is to Christ, and I am becoming more like him. My connection with Christ defines all other connections. Who am I? I am a Christian.
Now we need to ask, “Why am I here?” The usual answers are things like have fun, make money, or raise a family. My hope and prayer is that each of us can say with joy, “I am a Christian,” and with clarity for each day say, “I am here to make disciples.” It is neither idealistic nor an overstatement to wake each morning and remind yourself, “I am with Jesus, and I am here to make disciples.”
As your elders, we want to lead you on a biblical, clear, and helpful path for life. We want you to know where you are as a Christian, we want you to know the next step you need to take as a Christian, and we want to help you take that step. We have summarized all that in a simple statement, “We are one family in Christ making disciples.” Being one family starts with you joining the church (you become a family member). Then, with the help of a brother or sister here, you figure out what your spiritual gift is and begin using it for the good of others as a team player. Where we eventually want you to get is a way of life where you build community by loving us and seeking to help us grow in the faith. Concerning the family, you move from outsider to family member to team player to community builder.
Concerning Christ, being in Christ starts with salvation (you believe in Jesus). Then, alongside your brothers and sisters here you learn about Jesus so that you get to a way of life characterized by following Jesus. You move from unbeliever to believer to learner to follower.
Making disciples starts with pursuing people. Then, while you love and serve them you tell them the truth about Jesus. After evangelism, after truth-telling, comes discipleship where you commit to teaching that new brother or sister how to follow Jesus, namely, how to be a disciple who makes disciples. What you and I need to struggle with is the difference between making disciples as a hobby or making disciples as a way of life. Is making disciples just another thing you should do? Or, is making disciples the overarching guide for everything you do?
That’s where we are today, making disciples. We are one family in Christ making disciples. In this sermon, we are going to establish the biblical and theological foundation for making disciples. I want to convince you that you still have breath in your lungs because Jesus sent you to make disciples. Making disciples is not one of many things you could do if you have time and feel like it. Making disciples is the reason why you do everything you do.
I have one simple verse to keep us going the right direction this morning. The verse is John 20:21, “Jesus said to [the disciples] again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’” Jesus sends us like the Father sent him.
I. Consider who Jesus is, what he did, and where he is
This constant return to who Jesus is, what Jesus did, and where Jesus is forms the power and establishes the pattern for our lives.
- Deity, incarnation, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return
1 Timothy 3:16 covers the bases, “He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up into glory.”
Let’s celebrate our way through that list together. Deity, our redeemer and master is fully God. One of Jesus’ titles or nicknames in the Bible is “the Word.” John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And the Word took on flesh. This is the incarnation, or manifestation of eternal God as a man. God became a human to redeem humans. Hebrews 2:14-16 is all about God becoming a man, taking on flesh and blood, so that as a man, he could destroy the one who has the power of death, that is Satan. By submitting to sin and death, then conquering both, Jesus has the power to save. By taking our sins and giving us his righteousness Jesus took away Satan’s power to accuse and condemn us. God became man to help us. God became human to help you.
Deity, incarnation, life, and death. Jesus lived a righteous life full of love for God and love for others. He fulfilled the law of God perfectly, never sinning, and always obeying with a happy heart. Romans 3:25 tells us that Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. His death was for our sin; he was delivered up for our trespasses and he was raised for our justification. Jesus lived a righteous life for us and died an atoning death for us so that we, through dependence on him, can be reconciled to God. Jesus came to set us free from sin for life with God.
Deity, incarnation, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return. Where did Jesus go 40 days after his resurrection? He returned to his place of honor at the right hand of the Father (Acts 2:33; 1 Peter 3:22). What is Jesus doing now? He is everyday looking after and caring for us, interceding for us (Rom 8:34) and he is putting his enemies under his feet (1 Cor 15:25). And it is from that place of honor at the Father’s right hand that Jesus will soon return to destroy death, glorify his people, and judge the nations.
Jesus, the creator of all things is now ruling over all things, and he will soon return to make all things new. There is no better savior, king, master, or lord than Jesus, the Son of God. And this glorious one is our savior.
II. Jesus our Savior
- Redeemer, sacrifice, righteousness, reconciler, and life
Jesus our redeemer is all about Jesus’ worth and work that free us from our slavery to sin. Think with me for a moment about how sin, lust, desires, and passions boss you around, beat you up, and consistently take the good away from you; these realities demonstrate your slavery to sin. Our sins wound us and hurt our relationships with God and others.
Christianity opposes our culture, and our culture opposes Christianity precisely on this point. Christianity claims the answer to our problems is being freed from our evil desires to live joyful lives of love, love for God and love for others. You must get past and beyond you; you must be crucified and remade. Jesus our redeemer does this for us. Our culture, on the other hand, claims the answer to our problems is being freed from the ideas of God and evil so you can live a joyful life freely fulfilling your individual desires. Christianity says joy is found when you are free from self to love God and others. Our culture says joy is found when you are free from God and others so you can love self.
Enter Jesus the loving powerful redeemer. Jesus frees us from this love of sin and self by redeeming us, by setting us free from slavery. Jesus works this work by offering himself as the sacrifice for our sins. Jesus takes all our sin and shame and offers to us all his glory and goodness. Jesus takes our sin and gives us his righteousness so that he can reconcile us to God. Jesus offers us the freedom of forgiveness. You were not made to live life for yourself and by yourself. You were made to live all of life with and for God, but the God we need is the God we are cut off from by our sin.
Think about Lazarus in the tomb in John 11 and how, according to John 5:25, the hour is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. Our lives apart from the life of Jesus are nothing more than dead Lazarus in the tomb. We are shut in by our thoughts and our wants and all our best efforts produce only more death because death is all we are capable of. We are entombed in selfishness that leads to death.
Enter the voice of Christ. More than a means of conveying ideas, the voice of Christ is the means by which life is created. Genesis chapter 1, how did God create all things? God created all things by speaking. John 5:25, the dead will hear the voice of Christ and live. Your salvation can be compared to Jesus standing outside Lazarus’ tomb and shouting, “Lazarus come out!” This is what happens when the gospel is shared with the Holy Spirit’s power. But we struggle because we love our sin and our desires and our selves. We would rather have sin and death by ourselves than have holiness and life with God. We would rather be miserable by ourselves doing our thing than be joyful with God doing his thing. It is the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome our blind eyes, deaf ears, incapable minds, and hard hearts. Jesus our Savior gives us life. Jesus reconciles us to God by taking our sin, setting us free from slavery to sin, and giving us his righteousness. The hour is now here when the dead will hear Jesus’ voice and live. Do you want to live? Follow the Spirit’s lead as he convicts you of your sin, proves to you your death, and points you to the resurrected Christ as your answer. Run to Jesus and live! Depend on Jesus to free you from self so you can love God and love others.
And right about now you should be thinking, “Hey, I thought this was a sermon about making disciples.” And you are right. This Jesus has all authority.
III. Jesus has all authority (Mt 28:18-20)
Turn in your bibles to Matthew 28:16 and let’s read 18:16-20.
- Jesus rules
Look again at verse 18, “Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’”
No galaxy, no solar system, no planet, no nation, no state, no county, no city, no neighborhood, no home, no person, no atom is outside of Jesus’ authority to give it live or bring into judgment. The buck stops with Jesus. There is no court of appeals over his head.
The resurrected Jesus, glorious God, and glorified man, has all authority in heaven and on earth. Jesus is the boss of everyone, and you choose the Jesus you get. Do you want the redeemer who sets you free from sin and gives you his life? Or do you want the judge who holds you accountable for every careless word? Do you want to be liberated? Or do you want to be condemned? As the one with all authority in heaven and on earth, your everything depends on your response to Jesus.
And what does this Jesus with all authority over all things tell us? We act like he tells us, “Do whatever you want.” Or, “Follow your heart.” Or, “You do you.” What does Jesus say? Verse 19, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” Jesus rules and Jesus sends.
- Jesus sends
Looking at verse 19, what is the therefore there for? Because Jesus has all authority, he sends us to make disciples of all people. Jesus set us free from sin for life with God and this life with God is defined by making disciples. God has wired you and redeemed you so that you will make disciples. God has placed you where he has placed you so that you will make disciples there. When asked what do you want to do when you grow up, Jesus wants our children to say, “I want to make disciples.” When asked what I do, Jesus wants me to embrace the calling, “I make disciples.” God puts you where he puts you and God gives you what he gives you so you will make disciples.
Your job is the way you pay the bills, but more than that, your job is the place you go to make disciples. Your church, your neighborhood, and your family are the people among whom you are sent to make disciples. You are not here to have fun, make money, or make babies. You are here to make disciples. As you go about making disciples, have fun. As you go about making disciples, earn enough money for food and clothing. As you go about making disciples, get married and raise children. Our connection to Jesus defines who we are and Jesus’ command to make disciples defines what we do. The Jesus who rules us is the Jesus who sends us is the Jesus who we imitate.
IV. Jesus is our example
Now, everything Jesus said, thought, and did is worthy of imitation but we need to narrow it down. Like Jesus, we must depend on God the Father, love people, tell the truth, and make disciples who make disciples. Let’s take the first,
- Depend on God the Father
Again from John 5, this time verse 19, “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” And John 5:30, ““I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”
What is the deal with Jesus? Can he not think for himself? Does he not have any power or ability in himself? No, Jesus is fully God with all knowledge, creativity, wisdom, and power. The point is that all true life is life lived looking at, listening to, and depending on God. Jesus is showing us the reality and necessity of dependence on his Father.
The God who knows how everything is supposed to work, and the God who knows our role in everything, made us to follow his agenda and not our own. Stop here for a moment and think about who you are listening to and what you are getting from him/her. Who are you depending on and what are you getting? Who are you looking at and what are you becoming? Are you with Jesus making disciples? Are you listening to the Father, and are you loving people? Jesus loved people
- Love people
Jesus our example loved old people and he loved young people. Jesus loved sick people and strong people. Jesus loved rich people and poor people. Jesus loved his nation and all the nations. Jesus loved sinful hurting people and Jesus loved sinful self-righteous people. Jesus ate meals with people. Jesus went to weddings and festivals with people. Jesus went to funerals and baptisms. Jesus would go and go and give and give. Jesus did all of this because he loved God and because he loved people.
Tell me, who do you love? Who would the people you work with say that you love? Who would your friends say you love? Who would your family say you love? Followers of Christ love people because we are loved by Jesus and are following his example. But this love is not all warm fuzzies wrapped in rainbows and tied on with a hug. Like Jesus we must tell the truth
- Tell the truth
Ephesians 4:15 brings love and truth together. The way we help each other grow and become like Jesus is by speaking the truth in love. We must speak the truth about sin and about grace. We must speak the truth about disobedience and about mercy. We must speak the truth about condemnation and forgiveness. We must warn and we must encourage. We must tear down that which is evil, and we must build up that which is good.
And we are all a bit lopsided. I dare you to ask the people around you to tell you what side you usually camp on. Do you critique more than you celebrate? Do you celebrate more than you critique? Do you point out flaws more than you point out the good? Do you point out the good more than you point out flaws?
Overall, this truth telling is the understanding that we must be always constantly sharing the gospel. We must be evangelists who through our work, on our streets, and in our homes share the good news of salvation, life, and joy through the righteous life, atoning death, and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. Tell people where they can find healing, true food, true drink, and living hope. To tell the truth is to tell people about Jesus and when they believe in Jesus, help them follow Jesus. Teach them to obey all that Jesus commands
- Make disciples who make disciples
Everything about Jesus is pushing his disciples to take the salvation they have found and share it with others who will go and share it with others. Jesus wants more than to save you from sin and hell, Jesus wants to set you on a new way of life. This way of life is one of joyful holiness with God and redeeming love with others. Jesus made disciples who made disciples. What are you making? Are you making followers of Jesus who are making followers of Jesus?
So, who are you? In Christ, you are a dearly loved child of God. Why are you here? With Christ, you are here to make disciples. Lord willing, I’ll unpack the specifics of making disciples in the next few weeks. We need a plan for making disciples. For now, I want you to be still and answer these questions.
- Do you see the glory of Jesus such that you want to follow him?
- Are you following Jesus?
- Do you know how to follow Jesus?
- Are you helping others follow Jesus?
- Who are you going to talk to about this?
By and For the gospel 