Transcript
I want to read words that I find just incredibly exciting that are at the end of Matthew [28] said just before Christ leaves earth.
The Great Commission
18And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, [even] to the end of the age."
Here's what you need to understand. You and I worship and serve a "sending" God. You see, in God's plan, no one who receives His grace is intended just to be a recipient of that grace. Everyone who is a recipient of that grace is also sent to be an instrument of that grace in the lives of others. You want to know what God is doing right now? He's sending His people and He'll never stop sending His people until His work is complete.
Now, here's what this means. The only way to properly respond to that is to be a "going" person. And so, I realize I'm supposed to go. I'm supposed to be mobile. I'm supposed to be carrying this message that is the only message that makes sense, the only place where true life, true love, true grace, true hope can be found.
Bracketed by Authority and Presence
Now, here's what you need to realize. The Great Commission is bracketed by these two statements: "all authority is given to Me" and "lo, I am with you always". Here's what God is saying. "I understand you have no capacity whatsoever to do this by yourself. If I'm going to send you, you're going to need help, so here's the first thing I want you to know. You'll never go into any location or any situation that isn't ruled by Me. I will never send you beyond the scope of My sovereign rule. That means whatever is confusing to you, whatever is mysterious to you, whatever is fearful to you is ruled by Me already." And then He says, "Lo, I am with you always."
God is way too intelligent to leave us to our own limited, feeble set of resources, so He says, "I never go without going with you. Where you go, I go and I will provide. In those moments where you are willing to go, I will provide exactly what you need because I'm there with you."
Listen, you are never, ever in a moment of ministry by yourself because God rules the situation you're in and He happens to be there with you, so go. Go confident of His authority. Go confident of His command. Go confident of His presence. You go, you go, you go and you don't stop going 'til going isn't needed anymore.
