All right. Good morning. Good morning. Good to be here.
Love this house. Love this church family. It's always an honor. As most of you know, over the past several weeks, we have been going over a powerful series on obedience.
It's been a great series. And today I have the privilege of closing out this series. But before we begin and before we step into today's message, let us take a moment to recap what the Lord has been speaking through these past several weeks. And we want to Michael talk on the blessing of obedience.
That obedience is a disciples first duty, and it is a requirement if we want to have success in following Jesus. Then in week two, Andrew showed us the life of Jesus. How through Jesus's obedience to the cross, our lives have the potential to be forever changed. Then in week three, Michael talked on true obedience.
A life where Jesus is continually in charge. He used the image of true in the bicycle wheel. A great example showing us that Jesus aligns us in that same manner when we would submit our lives to Him. Then in week four, we learned about fellowship with God, giving God our first fruits in the morning, and fellowshiping our way into obedience.
Week five, Andrew challenged us with full obedience. Reminding us that partial obedience is actually disobedience. And then in week six, Michael spoke on pursuing obedience by faith, walking by faith, not by sight, but by trusting the voice of God. Andrew did, I mean, Michael did something that week that amazed me.
He actually got Brian Van Horn to pit Brian for himself. But it was a great example because by Brian trusting Michael's voice, he was able to walk to Michael, and Michael was able to keep him from danger. Michael met him before he fell off the stage, and it just shows a good way that when we trust God's voice, he would keep us from danger. He would keep us from falling.
And then last week, Michael spoke on lessons of obedience, and encouraging us to respond with faith when we are faced with the challenges of life. Inspiring us to take advantage of the daily opportunities we have to be obedient. Church, this has been an incredible series. Just a great series we've seen God move in our Wednesday night life groups.
I've heard personal testimonies, just one great testimony after another. God has impacted lives through this series. And my prayer today is that he will continue through this last message, through this last message to impact our lives. We've had some great weeks of preparation, great weeks of preparation on what it means to obey.
So now it's time to execute. Now it's time to execute. So let's dive in. And we're gonna begin in Matthew 28, 19 and 20.
And this is where Jesus gives his disciples one of their final commands, to go into all the world and preach the good news, to preach the gospel. So let us start in verse 19, Matthew 28, 19. Therefore go. Step, and I'm pausing on purpose.
I'm pausing on purpose. I want to camp right here for a minute. I want us to look at this first point, go. This week, this month, how many of you have since the Lord leading you to go?
And what was your response? What did you do? Because over the past several weeks, like I said, Jesus has been preparing us through these teachings to be obedient, to move and to execute. So what does that look like in everyday life?
I'm glad that you asked, glad that you asked. Because I just want to share a practical example with you, a practical experience. There was a few weeks ago on the Monday morning, I was sitting in my office, making phone calls, checking on different members, some who were sick, and some who I hadn't heard from. And the Lord put a young man on my heart.
And I'm not going to say his name because I didn't get his permission. But this young man had been coming to grace for a few weeks. He came to our men's chili cook off, and then I hadn't seen him. I hadn't seen him.
And so as this young man was on my heart, I felt the Holy Spirit wish for one word, go. So I picked up the phone and I called him. It just happened to be that we were both free for lunch that day. So we met up.
We started talking about life. Got to know one another. We just had some great fellowship. And during that conversation, I found out that he was at Cross Road in his life.
He had some questions about life. And as we begin to continue that conversation, I found out also that he had never made the decision to give his life to Christ. He had never made that decision. And as we were talking, I felt the Holy Spirit know you again.
Go. And as he was telling me, Sam, don't you miss this? Don't you pass out this opportunity? And as we concluded our lunch, we stepped out into the parking line.
And right there next to this truck, God moved. And he gave his life to Christ. And he came to my children. And listen, church, I am not sharing that for recognition.
Because when I drove the lunch today, I didn't know what the Lord was doing. I had no idea what he was up to. But I tell you, it started with one word, go. It started with a simple act of obedience.
It required me to get out of the way, and it allowed God to move. And church, I want to encourage you, each and every one of you that we all have what it takes to go. And going does not have to be complicated. It does not have to be complicated.
A lot of the times, it is not about your ability. It is about your availability. Not about your ability. So once again, when was the last time the Lord told you to go and what was your response?
That's food for thought. Let us continue reading that verse, Matthew 28, 19. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always to the very end of the age. Many of you know this passage. It is called the Great Commission. So if you take a note, that is the title for today's message, the Great Commission.
In church, this is not just an important passage. It is one of the most important passages in the entire Bible. Because these are not just cash words. These are marching orders.
They come down from our command in chief. Just King Jesus himself. But here's what we need to see. The true obedience to the Great Commission flows from recognizing that Jesus is Lord over every area of our life.
So if we're going to walk in obedience, we must be willing to do the following. We must be willing to submit. We got to be willing to move. We can't be stagnant.
And we have to be willing to speak. Because we cannot touch people's lives. We cannot impact someone's lives if we remain silent. Once again, church, we all have what it takes to go.
And going does not have to be complicated. It can be as simple as sharing your testimony. Inviting someone to lunch. Inviting someone to church.
Having a gospel conversation and praying intentionally for the loss. We all have people in our lives that we know that need Jesus. Who are lost. Friends, family, coworkers, whoever that may be.
But going starts by being intentional, right where you are today. Being intentional, right where you are. He's calling Jesus and calling us to step outside of our comfort zone and engage people with the gospel. Engage that coworker who's hurting.
Reach out to that neighbor that you haven't seen in a while. And when you're sharing the gospel, ask those deeper questions. Like Michael tells me on time, ask the second and third question. And when you build relationships, don't just build relationships with believers.
Build relationships with unbelievers as well. And show people genuine love. Show them genuine love. Because one thing I've come to realize, and I've come to understand over time is that people don't care about how much you know.
And say they know how much you care. You know, during this time in Scripture, Matthew 28, 19, and 20, Jesus had already gone to the cross. The tomb is empty. And victory over sin has been secured.
And now he gives the disciples their mission. And in church this mission is not changing over 2,026 years. It is still our mission today. I love this quote by Hudson Taylor.
Hudson Taylor says, the great commission is not an option to be considered. It is a command to be obeyed. A command to be obeyed. Obedience is not about our preference.
It's not about our preference. It's about our submission to Christ's authority. Because before Jesus said go, he said in the very sentence before that in Matthew 28, 18, that all authority and heaven earth have been given to me. In the very words after that, he says, therefore go.
That means Jesus has given us his authority. He's given the disciples authority. And as sons and daughters, we have his authority. And that means our evangelism flows from being under his lordship.
The great commission is not just a mission. It is a response of love, church. It's a response of love. And church, it is our obedience.
It is our obedience. It reveals our love and our devotion to the Lord. Remember Jesus, what Jesus said in John 1415. We have repeated description multiple times throughout this series because it's very important.
It's very important. John 14 says, if you love me, you will obey my commandments. The great commission is our mission, church. And the Bible teaches us that this mission is very attainable.
It's very attainable. Matter of fact, it is a promise. It's a promise from Father God to Jesus. And Psalms 121, he says, the Lord, Father God said to my Lord, Jesus, sit in my right hand till I make your enemies your foot store.
The Father will crush his enemies through the power of the Holy Spirit working through the church. He will do it. This is God's work, church. And this is the truth.
It's the truth that must be settled in our hearts. If we want to be obedient and carry out the great commission, we have to settle this truth. In the book, Paradise Restore, David Children quotes the following. And I love this because David says, the Lord is because this is key.
This is big. It says, the fact is that you will not work for the transformation of society if you do not believe society can be transformed. You will not try to build a Christian civilization. If you do not believe a Christian civilization is possible.
That is a powerful statement, a powerful statement. But once again, it starts with us being willing to go. And here's the encouragement. The mission of God is not to depend on your strength.
It depends on his presence. It depends on his presence. Behold, I am with you always. He says in that verse.
That means when we choose obedience to his wherever you are not alone. That means we're empowered, we're equipped. And he gives us what it takes to go. Going is where obedience begins, but it doesn't stop there, church.
And that brings us to the second point of this verse. And that is making disciples, making disciples. And just for the sake of clarity, let us define what a disciple is. In the New Testament, the Greek word for disciple is the word, mathetase.
I had to watch a tutorial video on that, by the way. It's mathetase. And it means a learner, a student, an apprentice, one who follows a teacher in order to become like them. It comes from the root word, montano, which means to learn and to understand.
In other words, the disciple is one who submits to the Lordship of Christ. Because he did not say go make church attenders or go make fans. He said go make disciples. And this is where many churches have struggled.
And I'm not talking about other churches. There are some good churches out there. And I've been a part of a few. But the truth is churches have learned how to get people to respond.
But they've not always taught them how to follow them. And here at this church, it is a burning desire. And every one of your pastors, your elders, life people, leaders, ministry heads, we want to see you follow Christ. We want to see you follow the Lord.
Now I'm grateful because when me and my family came to grace, we had strong mentors who said great examples. Taught us how to follow Christ. They didn't want us to be cheeks and seats. They wanted us to be disciples.
Listen, a simple church attendant would say, I believe in Jesus. But a disciple would say, I belong to Jesus. A casual Christian would fit Jesus into their schedule. But a disciple would build their schedule and their life around Jesus.
No church, we want to be those people who build our life around the Lord. And that means obedience to the great commission means that we care. We care about transformation. That's our mission.
Transform lives for Christ. And we are committed to our mission. We're committed to that mission during announcements. We recognize Danny Gowna and Tony Poehler.
For their commitment to the mission. Commitment is a cornerstone to anything worth wildlife. I want to share a quote with you. And this comes from my GM, my president, Miles Sweeney.
You're going to get a sneak peek out of our discovery days, man. And Miles Sweeney says, when Cortez landed at Veracruz in 1519 to begin his conquest of Mexico with a small force of 700 men, he first set fire to his fleet of 11 ships. His men on the shore watched in horror as their only means of retreat burned and sank into the Gulf of Mexico. With no means of retreat, there was only one direction to move forward.
And only one outcome short of death, total conquest. If we want to follow any steps of the great men and women who have gone before us, then we must burn our ships even as they did. Even as they did. These 700 men were obedience to their commander.
They were obedience to their mission. Here's another great quote by Kenneth Blanchard. There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when it's convenient.
When you're committed to something, you allow yourself no excuses. This is a great truth, church. A great truth is a great example of obedience. We should allow ourselves no excuses to the great commission, no excuses.
And that means teaching people to follow Christ. Not only what it looks like to follow Jesus. Walking with people until Christ is formed in them. Read as the church should be set in the standard.
And not just teaching knowledge, but teaching obedience. Teaching obedience. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 2820. Teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.
A disciple is someone who lives out what they learn. They live it out. As they learn it, they live it out. And that means that we're willing to help people learn how to pray.
They're willing to sit down with people and read scripture with them. Explain its own. Encourage them to release unforgiveness or whatever area maybe that they are struggling in life. Because walking with them through real life experiences helps them to take advantage of what Christ has to offer for them.
And that means in this church we take advantage of the ministries that we have to offer. We have a lot of ministries available. If you're hurting, if you're lacking in certain areas, reach out to a pastor. Reach out to an elder.
Talk to your life, people here. And church, I want to shift gears here for a minute. I just want to shift gears here for a minute. And I want to talk to the parents.
Parents, are you just raising good kids? Or are you making disciples? Are you making disciples? Because the great commission does not start off in a distant country.
It starts in your living room. It starts in the living room. For those of you who have been through King and Families, are you applying what you have learned? No husbands, are you building up your wives?
Are you encouraging them? Is there a biblical standard established in your home? And are you upholding that standard? Are you upholding that standard?
Are you leading spiritually? Or are you just providing naturally? Are you just providing financially? And that's a big one, church.
And gentlemen, I want to talk to you because for a long time there was a time in my life where I held a false concept. I was deceived. I was limited to the concept that it passed down to me by my culture and just by future generations. And that was my paycheck was enough.
I paid the bills. And that's good enough. And I'm not knocking hard work, gentlemen, because we need to bring home the bacon. But the reality is I was given at that time, which was the oil field.
I was giving them 100% and I was giving my family the scraps. I was giving them what was left over. Now I would come home tired and that would be my excuse not to engage. I would want to go ride bikes or play cats.
Hilda would just want to have a heartfelt conversation about how her day went or how my day went. But I was too tired. I was too tired. You see, instead of clocking in when I got home and investing what was really important, I was giving my employer 100% and just giving my family what was left.
And church, that's not biblical. That is not biblical. Because the scripture says, if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he care for things of God? First Timothy, three, fifteen, he says, a man must know how to take care of his own family.
If he cannot do that, he will not be able to take care of God's people in church. Before Jesus said going to all the world, God had already established the primary place of discipleship. He had already established the home as the primary place of discipleship and received this in Deuteronomy, chapter 6, verse 6 and 7, and it says, and you must commit yourselves whole heartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children.
Talk about them when you were at home and when you were on the road. And you were going to bed and when you are getting up. So church I want to ask you, is the great commission happening in your homes? Is it happening in car rides at the dinner table?
During bedtime conversations, just in everyday moments. Because discipleship is not an event. The discipleship is a lifestyle. It's a lifestyle.
And hear me church family. Your consistency matters more than your perfection. Your consistency matters more than your perfection. You may not get it right every day.
No one's going to bat a thousand. But if you stay consistent, God will honor it. You stay consistent, God will honor it. Because children don't just learn from what you say.
They learn from what you do. Now Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11, 1, follow my examples, I follow Christ. Parents, let your children see you pray. Now let them see you repent.
Let them see you worship and let them see you forgive. Create a culture of God's presence in your home. Create a culture of his presence. Your home should be more than a place of comfort.
Your home should be a place of encounter. Should be a place of encounter. Joshua 24, 15 says that's for me and my house. Read will serve the Lord.
Read will serve the Lord. That means that we set regular family devotion times. We play worship music in the home. We pray isn't worship in our home.
Now at first it feels weird. I remember me and Hilda and you might start doing that if we're at the beginning. But the benefits were amazing. The benefits that brought were amazing.
Because when our home is healthy church, when our home is healthy, that means that we are healthy. And that means our fellowship is healthy. And when our fellowship is healthy, that means the church is healthy. And which in a healthy church means that we can fulfill the great commission the way God intended us to.
And that brings me to my final point. That's a healthy church. And I don't mean a healthy church that is defined by size, programs, or popularity. I mean a church that is defined by unity.
It's shared purpose and it's spiritual maturity. And Psalms 133, the Bible says how good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity. For there the Lord commands the blessing. This scripture shows us something powerful.
It shows us where there is obedience. Where there is unity. God commands the blessing. If we were to pursue the blessing of obedience, unity is not optional.
It is essential. A divided church will always struggle. But a united church will always advance. It will always advance.
A rear unified. It will remove distractions. It will strengthen our vision and it will multiply our impact. Our healthy church recognizes that every believer is important.
Every believer contributes and every believer matters. See the mission of the great commission happens everywhere. The mission of the great commission making disciples is not limited just on Sunday morning when you're listening to the message in church. It happens in life groups.
It happens in church family gatherings. It just happens in everyday life. God doesn't command a blessing on talent. Thank you Lord.
He commands the blessing on obedience. Obedience in unity. And I want to share something about you about unity. Unity will try on talent every time.
It will. If you're a true sports fan, you understand that. A team full of unity. A team full of talent, excuse me.
But the body will lose to a team that has less talent but is unified. And the reason I know that church is because I'm a cowboy fan. All talent, no victory man. All talent, no victory.
Like the young bucks say, I'm just keeping it real. Just keeping it real. But really church, your unity matters. It matters.
In first Corinthians 12, 14 through 18, the word tells us that we are in many parts but we are all one body. It says, yes the body has many different parts. Not just one. If the foot says I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand that does not make it any less part of the body.
If the ear says I am not a part of the body because I am not an eye, would that make it any less part of the body? If the whole body weren't I, how would you hear? Or if the whole body weren't here, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts and God has put each part just where he wants it.
I cannot say to the hand I don't need you and the head cannot say to the feet you don't belong. There are no insignificant people in a significant mission. They're not. And the great commission is a significant mission.
And each one of you are significant. You are. Another example you can think about is your own body when you wake up throughout your day. You cannot tell your feet.
Take the day off. Maybe tomorrow you can come and work like that. Every part is essential. Every part is essential.
And in the same way brothers and sisters you are not insignificant. You are necessary. You are necessary. Every road matters.
Every ministry matters. The first impressions of ministry is just as important as a shepherd's ministry. Sunday school teachers, you are just as important as the worship team. Prayer ministry is just as important as the healing ministry.
A healthy church knows that it needs to activate every believer. It needs to develop every gift and deploy every person. Come on church. This is the call to action.
This is the call to obedience. If you want to serve and you're not serving, maybe you can ask where can I contribute? How can I help? Because the great commission moves at the speed of participation.
The great commission moves at the speed of participation. When we operate in obedience, the vision of the great commission becomes evident. It becomes evident. It becomes a reality in our everyday experience.
And that's why this church has been so effective in missions. It's been so effective in missions. We've had the privilege of impacting nations like Georgia, Poland, Ukraine, Africa, and others. In our announcements, we ask you to pray about our offering to the nation of Georgia.
The Lord has used this church network to impact so many lines in that nation. So many lines. Everything that happens is because of people like you that were generous, willing to give. When the church obeys the great commission, God works through obedience to change lives and to expand his kingdom.
The blessing of God follows the obedience of his people, church. I want to encourage you, the blessings of God will always follow the obedience of his people. And God has not left us without a vision. Our vision is clear.
To go make disciples, to baptize, to teach. And when the church embraces that vision, the church does not perish. It thrives. It thrives.
I want to encourage you to lay hold of eternal life. Let your light shine. Colossians 3, 16, and 17 says, let the message about Christ in all its richness feel your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives.
Sing Psalms and Him's and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus. Give me thanks to Him, the God the Father. Now as we wind down here, I want to share a story with you.
And this is a story about the lighthouse that lost its light. It may be a warning. Imagine a lighthouse standing on a rocky coast. For years, it got its ships safely through dangerous waters.
Sailors depended on its light to avoid the rocks and find their way home, find their way to shore. But one day, the keepers of the lighthouse began to focus on other things. They polished the windows. They painted the walls.
They decorated the inside. Everything inside the lighthouse looked beautiful, but there was one problem. They stopped lighting the lamp. Ships continued to sail through the dark waters, but now there was no light to guide them.
Without the light, the ships drifted. They crashed and they were lost. The lighthouse still stood. The building was still there, but it had forgotten its purpose.
And this is what Proverb 2918 warns us about. Where there is no vision, the people perish. When the church loses sight of God's vision, people around us remain in spiritual darkness. But Jesus made the mission clear when He said, go there for it and make disciples of all nations.
The church is meant to be a lighthouse to the world. Our calling is not simply to maintain the building. Enjoy fellowship or preserve tradition. Our calling is to let the light of the gospel shine so that lost people can find their way to Christ.
So this is the question for us today. Are we just maintaining the lighthouse or relighting the lamp? Because the church, when the church keeps the vision of Christ's mission, the Great Commission burning brightly, people who are lost in darkness can finally see the way home. And I want to encourage you this morning.
I want to encourage you to apply what you have learned through these past eight weeks. Go back and listen to those messages. Choose obedience. Let this church be a church that continues to like the lamp.
We want to continue to go make disciples and just be obedient to the Great Commission. Be obedient to the Great Commission. If you would, stand with me. I want to thank you Lord for your word Lord.
I want to thank you for your mission, the Great Commission, Lord. May we apply it to each area of our life, Lord. Continue to govern and guide us, continue to lead us, continue to direct our steps. Continue to let us put you first and continue to let us choose obedience.
We love you Lord and we thank you. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Amen.