Demand #49 – Make Disciples of All Nations, for All Authority Belongs to Jesus
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore 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 observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
—Matt. 28:18-20
The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
—Matt. 9:37-38
Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.
—Luke 14:23
I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
—Luke 15:7
As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.
—John 20:21
The basis of our going, making disciples, baptizing, and teaching is the absolute authority of Jesus. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). So when we share the gospel with one or one thousand the authority of Christ backs us.
What Is Authority?
Authority refers to the right and the power to hold sway in a given relationship. We see lines of authority at work, in the home, in the Church, and in the military. And I imagine all of us have seen individuals who didn’t like the lines in all those situations. When we are in authority we also have clear limits and guidelines to enforcement. If you ignore me in the DMSSC (and assuming I get it right) and God’s discipline is your problem but in most cases not even Church discipline would be appropriate (not that you should find that comforting). If you ignore Mark Sizemore while he is on duty then bad things could happen to you as a result of the civil authority he represents. In reality we don’t keep a rational balance and forget the holiness of God and worry more about parking fines than our obedience to God.
Then this shows up when we are called on to share the Gospel. When we share we think we are selling something and really don’t have any authority and that undermines our faith. We start to wonder if we are good salesmen and maybe we just need more “customers” to show success or to try harder. We have the authority of Christ. We need to rest in that and give the clear trumpet call and let the Holy Spirit do His work. At work, when I tell my people that we have a change in the plans and we will not renovate building C rather than A first because the Area Director has decided that, then I’m not doing a sales pitch and don’t need to get lucky and find a willing hearer. I’m functioning under authority and all those in the authority structure hear and obey (yep and whine too and complain about the decision and that is another lesson). As we minister we need to realize that we are not alone. We are part of the Body of Christ and we are ministering with His authority. His authority has no limits and we need to pray and minister with that knowledge.
The Total Authority of Jesus
1) Authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:7-12)
2) Authority in teaching Scripture (Mark 1:22; Matt. 5:17-18)
3) Authority over the enemy and unclean spirits (Matt. 4:10; Mark 1:27)
4) Authority over nature in diseases (Matt. 4:23), water into wine (John 2:9; 4:46), storms (Mark 4:39).
5) Authority over life and death (Mark 5:41-42; Luke 7:14-15; John 11:43-44) and even over his own death “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again” (John 10:18).
6) Authority at the Judgment Throne (John 5:27; John 17:2).
How Jesus Lays Claim on the World
Any soul that doesn’t give allegiance to Christ is in rebellion against Him. I know we have problems with that and want to run our own lives but it is “cosmic treason” as it has been called by R.C. Sproul. If you don’t know Christ the call is to repent, confess your sins and inability to make yourself pure before a holy God, and accept the righteousness provided by the Blood of Jesus. For the saved, we are then called upon to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19). He works through us and we work in His authority (John 13:20; Matt. 10:40; Matt. 16:18; John 10:16; John 17:20)
The Mission Lasts as Long as This Age Lasts
The ability to stay on task until you are told to do something else is an important skill. Jesus said “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. . . . And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20). So the mission of the Church will not change until the “Church age” ends.
The Followers of Jesus Speak on His Behalf
We need to prepare ourselves to accurately and precisely present the truth of the Gospel in a world that really doesn’t like to hear that someone believes in objective truth. The truth claims of the Gospel do not sound good to those who are perishing. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. . . . Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him” (John 3:36; 5:23; cf. 15:23). Our hope in sharing the Gospel is in the overwhelming power of the Holy Spirit to kick open doors and break down walls our confidence is that nothing is lost in service to Christ even if you are martyred.
Jesus Demands That We Pursue Ethnic Diversity in His Kingdom
An implication that we may miss from Jesus’ command is that since we “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” we should expect tremendous diversity in the Body of Christ. It is really something to have that gap between peoples spanned by Christ. Nationality, race, language and background fall aside as Christ puts us together.
Demand #50 – Make Disciples of All Nations, for the Mission Cannot Fail
I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
—Matt. 8:11-12
But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be our opportunity to bear witness.
—Luke 21:12-13
They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
—Luke 21:24
God’s Roundabout Way of Pursuing the Nations: Focusing on Israel
Piper spends some time on what may seem to us to be an unusual way of building a people and blessing the nations. Israel is unique is some aspects. Those who were Israel according to the flesh were called by Jesus, “the sons of the kingdom” (Matt. 8:12). Jesus came as a Jewish Messiah and announced the kingdom but He didn’t bring the kingdom in the way they wanted or expected. Jesus focused on the Jews. During the ministry He told the disciples to, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:5-6) and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). It was right to offer redemption to those who were Abraham’s and Isaac’s and Jacob’s seed according to the flesh first.
Jesus’ Focus Was Rejected, and He Turned to the Nations
Most Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah (Matt. 21:39; Mark 15:11-13; John 5:47; 6:36; 8:45; 12:37) and didn’t recognize Him. He said, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:25-26). His sacrifice made it possible for all the nations to be blessed and to become the seed of Abraham. Never the less, the early Church was essentially Jewish. The blessing was then extended to all nations by the power of the Holy Spirit and this was foreshadowed in Scripture “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. . . . I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Ps. 22:27; Isa. 49:6; cf. Gen. 49:10; Deut. 32:43; Ps. 66:4; 67:3-4; 68:32; 72:8; 86:9; 97:1; 138:4-5; Isa. 11:10; 42:10-12; 45:22; 49:12; Jer. 16:19; Dan. 7:14; Mic. 4:1-4).
The Times of the Gentiles
We know that we see God moving in various places around the globe to build the Body of Christ. We saw the terrible judgment on Jerusalem in 70 AD and “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). God is currently making children for Abraham from every type of people on the planet. The mission can’t fail because the Holy Spirit is driving it. We are commanded to participate. Many people expect a special revival in Israel among those who are ethnically Jewish prior to Christ’s return so that Israel will finally say, “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matt. 23:39). One caution is that we don’t want to act like God hasn’t been saving those who are ethnically Israel all along. Many Christians expect a great revival but if this Church sent 100 believers to walk through Jerusalem that would not be a fulfillment of Luke 21:24because, as we saw in Romans, believers are now Israel. However, we can all affirm that “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14). There is no maybe.
The Blessings of Abraham Are for the Nations
God kept Israel for centuries, in part, so that you can believe in His ability to keep you. They were so contrary, disobedient, and idolatrous that we can see ourselves in them. “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. . . I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:1-3). All the families of the earth are blessed because, in Christ, they are grafted in and become the children of Abraham. Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you [Israel] and given to a people producing its fruits.” You clearly have nothing to brag about. God gets all the glory for His grace in your life.
His Final Demand: “Make a Global Claim on My Behalf”
We need to remember to never think that Jesus’ call and judgment is anything less than global (Matt. 25:31-32; John 5:22; Matt. 28:19-20).
By Prayer, Word, and Suffering
While we know that we’ll be successful (Matt. 24:14), we are the ones who do it. God chooses to use us. Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2). So, if we are obedient, we must pray and seek to aid in the harvest in the ways God opens up to us. Our prayers are commanded and we will see God do things that would not have otherwise occurred (Matt. 10:27; Luke 14:23; Luke 15:7; Matt. 10:32-33). We may suffer. We may be called to suffer but look for God’s grace at that point to lift you up.
He Is Worth It
“They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:12-13). It sounds like persecution is firing up in Myanmar. It has been going on for years in China. Large numbers of our brothers and sisters are unknown to us in, for example, China and North Korea. But God has a people. His authority saves and His move is effective. Nothing is lost in Him. He told us that, “whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:35). “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Matt. 5:11-12). The only lasting satisfaction is found in Him and nothing can be lost in pursuit of Him.
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