Matthew 28:18-20
The Great Commission -
Teach them to observe all I have commanded you.
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Sermon Text
The Great Commission
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Mt 28:18–20.
Sermon Summary
The Great Commission - Teaching All That Jesus Commanded
Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20
Main Points:
What Ought to Be Taught?
Jesus Ought to Be Taught: The central focus of teaching must be Jesus Christ—His life, death, resurrection, and His teachings as found in the Gospels.
The Biblical Jesus: Teach the authentic Jesus of the Scriptures, not the culturally revised versions.
All Things Commanded by Jesus: Emphasize the full counsel of God, including hard sayings, as all Scripture is beneficial for teaching and discipleship.
Who Ought to Teach?
Formal Teachers: God has given the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11-16). Formal teaching roles, particularly for elders, are limited to qualified men (1 Timothy 3:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:12).
Informal Teaching: All believers, including parents, grandparents, and older women, are called to teach informally within their families and communities (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Titus 2:3-5).
Are You Obeying?
Personal Obedience: Examine whether you are personally obeying Jesus' commands in your life, repenting of sin, and aligning with biblical teachings.
Living as Disciples: Engage in the Great Commission by making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe Jesus’ commands. Pray for opportunities and boldly share the gospel.
Conclusion: The Great Commission is not optional. Each believer is called to participate in making disciples, teaching, and baptizing. A church that neglects this mission fails its purpose.
Sample Bible Study
Teaching All That Jesus Commanded
Theme: The Great Commission - Teaching All That Jesus Commanded
Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20
1. Introduction
Objective: Understand the scope of the Great Commission, focusing on what and who ought to teach, and the importance of obedience.
2. Biblical Themes
Jesus as the Central Focus: Emphasize the life, death, resurrection, and teachings of Jesus.
Authenticity of Teaching: Teach the Jesus of the Gospels, avoiding cultural distortions.
Comprehensive Teaching: Highlight the importance of teaching all Jesus commanded, including difficult truths.
3. Scriptural References
Matthew 28:18-20: The Great Commission.
2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is useful for teaching.
Ephesians 4:11-16: Roles in the church for teaching and equipping.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9: Teaching within the family.
1 Timothy 3:1-7; 2:12: Qualifications and roles of formal teachers.
Titus 2:3-5: Role of older women in teaching younger women.
4. Historical Context
Apostolic Teaching: The apostles' commitment to teaching Jesus’ commands as seen in the Gospels and Epistles.
Early Church Practice: The pattern of discipleship and teaching established by early church leaders.
5. Practical Applications
Personal Reflection: Are you embracing the full counsel of God in your life?
Family Discipleship: Integrate teaching moments in everyday family activities.
Community Engagement: Look for opportunities to disciple others in your church and community.
6. Westminster Standards
Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) 1.6: The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life is either expressly set down in Scripture or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture.
Westminster Larger Catechism (WLC) Q. 159: How is the Word of God to be preached by those that are called thereunto? The Word of God is to be preached soundly, diligently, plainly, faithfully, wisely, zealously, and sincerely.
Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC) Q. 3: What do the Scriptures principally teach? The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.
7. Discussion Questions
What are some practical ways you can teach others about Jesus in your daily life?
How can you ensure that your teaching aligns with the full counsel of God as found in Scripture?
What steps can you take to obey the Great Commission more faithfully?
Closing Prayer:
Thank God for His Word and the clear instructions it provides.
Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in teaching and obeying Jesus' commands.
Ask for boldness and opportunities to share the gospel and disciple others.
Weekday Devotionals
Monday: The Command to Teach
Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:20a (NKJV)
"Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you..."
Jesus commands us to teach new disciples to observe all His teachings. This encompasses the entirety of His commands, not just the parts that are convenient or easy. The foundation of our teaching is the Word of God, which provides us with everything we need for life and godliness.
Teaching the full counsel of God's Word ensures that disciples are well-equipped to live out their faith. This includes both the comforting promises of Scripture and the challenging commands. It is through obedience to all of Christ’s commands that we grow in our faith and reflect His character in our lives.
Prayer Prompt: Lord, help me to be faithful in teaching and living out all of Your commands. Give me the wisdom to understand Your Word fully and the courage to obey it completely. Amen.
Tuesday: The Centrality of Jesus' Teachings
Scripture Reading: John 14:23-24 (NKJV)
"Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.'"
The teachings of Jesus are central to the life of a disciple. Love for Christ is demonstrated through obedience to His words. This obedience is not burdensome but a joyful expression of our love and devotion to Him.
Jesus’ words are not His own but come from the Father. Therefore, to obey Jesus is to obey the triune God. This underscores the divine authority behind His commands and the importance of adhering to them.
Prayer Prompt: Father, instill in me a deep love for Jesus that manifests in wholehearted obedience to His commands. Help me to understand and apply Your Word in every aspect of my life. Amen.
Wednesday: The Role of Scripture in Teaching
Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."
The Bible, as the inspired Word of God, is our ultimate guide for teaching. It is profitable for teaching doctrine, reproving error, correcting faults, and training in righteousness. By immersing ourselves in Scripture, we are thoroughly equipped for every good work that God calls us to do.
Teaching all that Jesus commanded involves a comprehensive understanding of the whole Bible. This requires diligent study and faithful application of its truths. As we grow in our knowledge of Scripture, we are better equipped to teach others and help them grow in their faith.
Prayer Prompt: Gracious heavenly God, thank You for the gift of Your Word. Help me to study it diligently and apply its truths faithfully. Equip me through Your Scriptures to teach others effectively. Amen.
Thursday: The Challenge of Hard Teachings
Scripture Reading: John 6:60-61 (NKJV)
"Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, 'This is a hard saying; who can understand it?' When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, 'Does this offend you?'"
Jesus often spoke hard truths that challenged His followers. Some teachings may be difficult to accept, but they are no less essential. True discipleship involves embracing all of Jesus' teachings, even those that are hard to understand or accept.
We live in a culture that often resists absolute truths, especially those that confront personal beliefs or lifestyles. However, as disciples of Christ, we must hold firmly to His teachings, regardless of societal pressures or personal discomfort.
Prayer Prompt: Lord Jesus, help me to embrace all of Your teachings, even the hard ones. Give me the strength to stand firm in the truth and the grace to teach it to others with love and compassion. Amen.
Friday: The Commitment to Lifelong Learning and Teaching
Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:20 (NKJV)
"...teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen."
The command to teach is a lifelong commitment. Discipleship is an ongoing process of learning and growing in obedience to Christ. As we teach others, we must also remain teachable, continually seeking to understand and apply the fullness of God's Word.
The promise of Jesus’ presence with us provides the assurance and strength we need to fulfill this command. We are not alone in this task; He is with us always, guiding and empowering us through His Spirit.
Prayer Prompt: Heavenly Father, thank You for the promise of Your presence as we seek to teach others about Jesus. Help me to be a lifelong learner and a faithful teacher of Your Word. Empower me by Your Spirit to fulfill this Great Commission. Amen.
Reflective Article
This week’s article is a challenge to fathers to disciple their sons: https://gentlereformation.com/fathers-teach-your-children-a-direct-challenge
Automated Transcript
Introduction
Will you please turn in your Bibles with me to the book of Matthew, Matthew chapter 28. Matthew chapter 28, verses 18 through 20. We're continuing on in our series through the Great Commission, phrase by phrase. And this morning we'll be specifically looking at the first part of verse 20. If you're using the New King James Pew Bibles provided for you, you'll find that on page 881.
Reading the Scripture
Brothers and sisters, hear now God's perfect word. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Prayer
Let's pray. Father, You have given us Your Word. You have commanded us to do things. Father, we pray that Your Spirit would help us, that as we go through this word, Lord, I pray that Your Spirit would be with me and give me the right words to say. Lord, more so that Your Holy Spirit would actually empower us to remember these words, and to have the courage to actually do it. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
Facebook Interaction
I had a Facebook theology interaction, something my wife encourages me not to do, but I had a family member recently, this is somebody I care about, and they put something out on Facebook, you know, they shared a meme, and the meme went like this: "Christianity should sound more like, I'm committed to deepening my love for others and seeking their best." Sounds pretty good, right? We wouldn't disagree with that. Okay, nothing about God there, but okay. But then the post went on and said, "Christianity should not be about, I'm obsessed with how others are not conforming to my own personal beliefs, and I must make them do so by any means necessary."
And as I interacted with this person, I started kind of asking some questions. What was your goal in that post? What were you hoping to do? What were you actually trying to go for? And come to find out that there were two things, one that many Christians might agree, many Christians wouldn't, right? One is kind of the rise of the evangelical political right, and she doesn't like that, right? This is a liberal family member, and that's her own. But as we started going, come to find out that, no, no, it wasn't just that, it was, you shouldn't be telling other people about your personal beliefs. And she said, you can't force that on people. And then people kind of started cheering for her in the comments and it come to find out that it was even a person who was saying that their child had gone to school and she had Christian friends, right? This was a youth and her youth friends came to her and were sharing about Jesus with her. And the mom got mad at this. How dare they tell her that she's going to hell because she doesn't believe in Jesus. Come to find out that it wasn't just, no, you shouldn't bring this into the public sphere. It was, you shouldn't even talk about this with others. Because it's offensive.
The Great Commission
And I gotta warn you, you live in a culture of pluralism, of every religion should have equal standing, and you shouldn't tell someone there is one way. Because that's too narrow. But this is exactly what Jesus is commanding us to do. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to obey all which I have commanded you." Once somebody becomes a disciple and they're baptized, they need to be taught.
1) What Ought to Be Taught
So what ought to be taught? What should we be teaching? What is the content, the substance of what we ought to teach? Because I need to tell you that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have a place to teach. And you have a content to teach. So what ought to be taught?
Jesus Ought to Be Taught
Well first, Jesus ought to be taught. If we are on our hobby horses about all sorts of our kind of political beliefs over here, and we really like talking to people and teaching them about our view of economics or our view of soteriology or whatever, but we haven't mentioned about Jesus, if your hobby horse is your specific view of end times, but you aren't telling people about the gospel of Jesus, then you're missing the point. Jesus is a whoop in the wharf, the content, the heart of what we teach other people. Jesus himself is the object of our faith. That's why we trust in Jesus Christ. That's why we love Jesus Christ. That's why we profess that Jesus Christ is our Lord. That's why our only hope and faith in life is Jesus Christ. And so we teach others about the only Son of God who was conceived of the Virgin Mary, who lived a perfect life, who suffered and died under Pontius Pilate, who was crucified on the cross, who truly was buried and rose again bodily from the dead on the third day. He was seen by hundreds of people. He taught them. And He ascended up into heaven and He's given us a mission to do until He returns again. We must tell others of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, primarily. That's the first thing we must tell others about.
The Biblical Jesus
But here's the thing, that's not necessarily going to be offensive to most people. I remember working with a guy that I want to talk to him about Jesus. And he said, Oh, I got no problem with Jesus. He was a great teacher. He did a lot for humanity. It was wonderful. And I mean, I was stuck in a car with this guy for hours and hours a day, right? We did carpet cleaning. So he was, whether he liked it or not, it was a captive audience. He could roll down the window and turn up the radio, but eventually got bored. So we had to talk. And as we talked, come to find out, he didn't mind if I just kept Jesus kind of theorized out there. But when you come and you actually talk to people about the Jesus that we find in the Gospels, that's when you start getting the rub. We don't just come up with our ideas of Jesus. It's very, very, very popular today for people to have an idea of what Jesus was, an idea of what Jesus taught, but not actually go to the Scriptures to find out.
But you see, this is why Matthew obeyed Jesus. Matthew was there. He was one of the 11. He heard Jesus tell them that they needed to teach. And what did he do? He wrote down what Jesus taught. And that was the main content of what he taught. John did the same thing towards the end of his life. He was one of those that heard Jesus say this to him in verse 20, teach them to obey all which I commanded you. And John wrote down his gospel. So he could teach others who Jesus was and why Jesus came, that they might believe and have everlasting life. This is what Peter did. Peter heard Jesus say this, and Peter went out to the various different nations, preaching the gospel. Eventually, he's in Rome, and he preaches the gospel to Rome, and Mark is there as a disciple of Peter, hearing him teach of Jesus, and writes it all down from the sermons. And that's where we get the gospel of Mark, because Peter obeyed Jesus. He taught about Jesus. He preached about Jesus. Luke goes on his various missionary journeys with Paul. He's going around with the Apostle Paul and he's so curious about what Paul has taught about this Jesus that he goes and he gets eyewitness reports, he verifies the facts, puts it in a historical narrative so Theophilus might learn of Jesus Christ and be strengthened in his faith to know that these things are true.
The Jesus of the Gospels
Do you see, we'd have to actually go to the Gospels themselves and find the Jesus that the Gospels teach, not the Jesus that people make up. There's all sorts of people. You know, you have the hippie Jesus who just walks around and is good with everyone. You have the all-inclusive Jesus who, you know, he's just like, oh, you know, if you follow Muhammad, that's okay. If you follow Buddha, that's okay. You're going to make your way to the Father. I love everyone. You have the Jesus of just pure love, right? As long as what you're doing is love, then it doesn't matter. Those are all false Jesuses. Those are idols that people have set up. And you need to be careful, right? There's a reason why on the back of your bulletin I've given you, this was a good meme, right? I don't know why I was on memes this week, but there was, what is the biblical Jesus and then what is our culture trying to tell us about Jesus? And you can go home and look at that later, but we must find that Jesus presented to us in the historical books of the Gospels.
Teaching All Things
But notice, notice what Jesus tells them. He commands them, teaching them to observe, and there's a small word that's important. All things. All. What must we teach? All of it. All of it. We don't get to cherry pick what parts of Jesus we like and what parts of Jesus we don't like. Again, people are always trying to do that with Jesus. They'll even try to just say, well, I'm not sure this part is true, or they'll explain away hard things that Jesus said. Because Jesus indeed did say hard things. If you lust after a woman with your eyes, you need to gouge out your right eye and cast it out, for it's better for you to enter into heaven maimed than for your whole body to be cast into hell. That's a hard thing that people don't like to hear. It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. That's a hard one in the West to hear. It's a hard one for when people come to Jesus, and they find Him in the Gospels, and Jesus tells the grieving person, let the dead go bury their dead. That's hard. But it's the biblical Jesus. Jesus says hard things like whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. That's a hard saying. But it's the biblical Jesus. Jesus told his disciples, well, you got to hate your parents, your spouse, your siblings, your children. That's a hard saying. Many people would like to say, no, no, no, Jesus wasn't being serious about that. That's just... No, I know too many Christians who have lost their entire natural family because they profess faith in Jesus Christ, because they counted Jesus worth more than everything else.
Believing in the Biblical Jesus
Do we believe in the biblical Jesus? It's not a buffet. We have to teach all which Jesus has commanded us. But where else do we learn about Jesus? There's a verse in the book of John. I love John's imagery here. Look with me at John 21:25. If you have your Bible, you're able to flip there with me. John 21:25. John 21:25, the apostle says this, "And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world could not contain the books that would be written." We find in the Gospels what they wanted to tell us and the point that they wanted to make. Matthew had a point he was trying to make. Jesus is the King of the Jews. And he was writing it to Jewish people. Luke wants to write a historical, orderly account, but they didn't include every single aspect of what Jesus said or did. And this is what the epistles do for us. This is what the rest of the New Testament has done. It fleshes out Jesus's commands. It fleshes out Jesus's teaching. In the New Testament, we find the apostles teaching the early church, as well as early church leaders like James.
The New Testament Teachings
In Acts, we find this account of the apostles actually going from place to place and teaching the nations what Jesus had done. And in Romans, we find the apostle Paul teaching the people in Rome what does salvation look like for Jews and for Gentiles, and how do you live it out in your life, verses 12-16. And then you get to Ephesians and Colossians, and you find out about God's amazing plan for salvation, and how He appointed them to trust in Christ Jesus. And in Christ Jesus, the wall of separation has been torn down, and now they are to live their lives filled with the Gospels. Go read the second half of Ephesians or Colossians, and you will find all sorts of the law of Christ. "Let him who steals, steal no longer, but labor with his hands, that he might give to those who are in need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but only that which is good for necessary edification, that you might build up those who hear, that you might impart grace to those who hear." There's all sorts of commands, gospel commands, that flow from Jesus that we find in the New Testament.
In 1 and 2 Corinthians, you find the gospel at work in a messy early church, and what does it look like to strive for holiness together? Because this is the command of Christ in the congregation. In Hebrews, we find so much about Jesus. If I was stuck on an abandoned island, and I could only have one book of the entire Bible with me, it'd be the book of Hebrews. Because it's a summary of all the Old Testament, how all of it points to Jesus, and how Jesus is our prophet, priest, and our king. We find Jesus all over the New Testament. When we go to the book of Revelation, it again is teaching us about Jesus and His commands and how He is going to be victorious on that last great day. And even things like we're not to forget our first love, Jesus Christ, even as we're striving for holiness.
Do you see, we need to be taught all the commands from the Scriptures about what Jesus commanded. But here's the thing, right? There are going to be people who say, okay, so we're New Testament Christians. I was kind of raised in this type of tradition. We just kind of turn our back on the Old Testament. But no, brothers and sisters, even all the scriptures of old pointed to Jesus Christ. And so we look to all the scriptures. This is what Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 3, verses 16 through 17, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped, ready for every good work." See, the whole Bible is a book of discipleship for you. If the Holy Spirit is working in you, and as you read the Scriptures, and as you're trying to listen for Christ and follow after Christ, your emotions, your affections, your actions are brought more and more in line with who Jesus is and what He's commanded.
The Whole Bible
And so we go to all the Scriptures. We go to the heavy places, like Lamentations and we find out that Jesus Christ is our Savior in the midst of the hardest and darkest places. We go to places like Ecclesiastes and we realize that vanity, vanity, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. There's nothing in this world that's going to satisfy you ultimately unless you have Jesus Christ. You go to the Psalms and you find the anatomy of the soul and you even hear the words that Jesus put on his own lips in places like Psalm 22. And you find the great praises that Jesus has inspired us to sing for what he's done. We find God's faithfulness in keeping his covenant and bringing about that promised seed, Jesus Christ, as we go through the historical books. See, all the scriptures are meant to build you up in your faith and to teach you what Jesus has commanded.
Commanded to Teach
Jesus commanded his word to be taught. This is something I really need to... I'm pushing this on you hard, but now I'm going to say it too explicitly. The world would love you to think that teaching all which Jesus has commanded is more of a mystical idea. You just need to contemplate Jesus himself, and then you're going to come up with ideas of what does it mean to actually look like Jesus and be like Jesus. But the problem is we are a people of the book. We are a people of a revealed religion. We're not a people who deal with mysticism. We're a people who go to Jesus Christ in the scriptures. We open up the book that God has inspired and we learn about God there. And when we hear from the culture or from our own hearts something that sounds different, we be like the Bereans and we go back to the book and we see if these things are true. And if they're not, we disregard them. But if they are, we cling on to them because they're biblical.
And this is offensive. In our culture, this is offensive because we're saying, hold on, we have a body of literature, this is what we believe, and people will look at you and they'll think you're crazy. You hold to a book that was written at least 2,000 years ago? Are you nuts? How backward and narrow are you? The question is, do you believe? Are these the very words of life? Or are they just dead words on a page? Is your Bible just gathering dust on the shelf? Or is it building you up, training you up, rebuking you, correcting you, and making you equipped for every good work that Jesus has commanded you? This is the content of what we teach.
2) Who Ought to Teach
So the question that naturally flows, okay, so that's the content of what we teach, but the question is, who ought to teach? Well, there's both formal and informal functions in teaching. The formal functions, Paul explicitly lays out in places like Ephesians chapter 4.
Formal Teaching
Ephesians 4, 11-16, "He Himself gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors, even teachers, for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to perform a perfect man to the measure and stature of the fullness of Christ." One of God's gifts to the church, I'm so thankful he gave us the apostles, and he gave us the prophets, and they gave us Christ. And then he has passed down that written word to other faithful men, entrusted with that word, to then teach the next generation, and the next generation, and the next generation. God established that pattern.
But what I'm about to say next may seem politically incorrect, and that's okay, because it's, again, biblical. The formal teaching God limits to men, especially to elders. Jesus commissioned these 11 men to go out and teach authoritatively, and then they in turn entrusted this truth to other elders, 1 Timothy 3, 1 through 7, "This is a faithful saying. If a man desires the position of an overseer, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, notice this one, able to teach, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous, one who rules his own house well, having all his children in submission with all reverence." That goes on, right? Does this person teach what the apostles taught? Does he hold to the Word? Is he teaching the Word? And does his life line up that this is a man who looks like Jesus himself? Does he love God's people? Is he gentle? Is he not a lover of money, but is he a generous man? This is the type of teachers that we need to pray for, and that we look for.
Just before this, in 1 Timothy 2, Some people will say this is a clobber verse, 1 Timothy 3, 1 through 7. They'll say, well, we're not sure if that's taken out of context. Just before this in 1 Timothy 2, verse 12, Paul says something again that would be horribly politically incorrect for our day, but again, it's biblical. Within the formal teaching, he says, "and I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over man, but to be in silence." This is one of those hard truths of scripture that our culture just doesn't like. But I gotta tell you, as you look at other churches who have had a vacuum of male leadership in teaching the congregation, you also find a drift away from biblical truth. I think as you change God's pattern for the church, what happens is you change God's direction for the church as well.
Informal Teaching
But that doesn't mean that there's not a place for each and every one of you to teach informally. No, actually, this is why we started with Deuteronomy 6, verses 4-9. Parents, God has commanded you to so order your home that whatever you're doing with your children, whether you're driving down the road, or working in the garden, or going hunting, or sitting in the tractor, or whatever you're doing, that you're talking of the things of God. Husbands and wives, mothers and fathers. This is what Proverbs chapter 1 teaches us, verses 7 through 9. I love especially the first few chapters of Proverbs. It's just a father speaking to his son. Solomon speaking to one of his boys, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, hear the instruction of your father. And do not forsake the law of your mother, for they will be graceful ornaments on your head and chains about your neck." Children, listen to the instruction that your parents are giving you. If they are teaching you biblical truth, lean in and listen to your mom and dad. They're trying to love you. They're trying to show you how to love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Now, they're not going to do it perfectly because no teacher will ever do it perfectly. They're going to fail you at times, but where they're teaching you the truth, listen.
Generational Impact
Well, we read 1 Timothy, but the question I had as I was reading through this, I remembered, who taught Timothy first? It wasn't Paul. It was his mom and his grandma. His grandma, Lois, and his grandmother, Eunice, taught Timothy the truths of the Scripture first. 2 Timothy 1, 3-7, "I thank God whom I serve with a pure conscience as my forefathers did, as without ceasing. I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears that I may be filled with joy." And this is Paul kind of going on a nostalgia part here, right? He's praying for him and he says in verse 5, "when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother, Lois, and in your mother, Eunice, I am persuaded that it is in you also. Therefore, I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." He received that instruction from his grandma and from his mom first.
Passing Down the Legacy
Do you guys see you have a generational impact? Grandparents, don't just enjoy having your kids over to play games with them and give them all the sugar and then send them home. I'm not saying you can't do that. But first give them a Bible lesson or pray with them or something. Give them some biblical truth. Give them, pass down a legacy of the heritage of the gospel. And you'll be blessed by it. And we also see, even in the early church, as there was in the church of Corinth, a guy came through, his name was Apollos, and he had only heard the message of John the Baptist, and he was preaching repentance, you need to be baptized by this baptism of repentance. And there were two people in the early church that said, you're really close to it. But there's something a little off, and Aquila and his wife Priscilla take him aside privately. And this husband and wife team disciple this man and teach him of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And Apollos becomes one of the main teachers in the early church. We find that in Acts chapter 18.
Older Women
And even older women have a responsibility in Titus chapter 2 to teach the younger women, "that they admonish the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, to be discreet, chase, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed." I know some of you guys have been doing this for decades. You've been teaching your children and grandchildren longer than I've been alive. Please don't waste your retirement years. There's so many people who would rather sit and just be in the air conditioning, watching their favorite television show, getting sucked into the news syndicate cycle, instead of actually teaching the next generation. What does it mean to live a godly life? What does it mean to love Jesus Christ? Please, older men, this is gonna happen to us too. Don't waste those years that the Lord has given you. Yeah, go ahead and rest, right? You've earned it, you've retired, you've saved, you've worked your tail off, I understand. So now invest in what's going to have the most kingdom impact. God's given you this time now to invest in the next generation.
Examples of Informal Teaching
I gotta tell you, I'm really thankful for people in my life who informally taught me just because they were Christians around me. Master Chief Dan Phillips taught me what it meant to share the gospel with somebody in a hard situation in their life because he did it with me. Byron Snap taught me and his wife, Janie, taught me the blessing of just spending lots of time with somebody. They never looked at their watch and thought, oh man, it's time for you to get out of here, kid. No, they just, if I had questions, they would invite me over to their house and just sit down and talk with me. Encourage me in the gospel. Pastor Ramsey taught me what it was like to have Christian generosity. The guy knew me for about 10 minutes. My car was broken down. I wanted to see Olivia. She was an hour and a half away, snowing in Pittsburgh, lots of hills. I don't know how to drive a stick shift. He throws me the keys to his car and he says, let's go learn how to drive and gives me his car for a week. Why? Because he saw somebody in need and he wanted to be generous. He didn't have to teach me what it was to be generous. He showed me what it was to be generous.
Dave and Julie Miracle taught me what it was like to just have hospitality, having people in your house who you don't know. Hospitality literally is xenophilia, love of the stranger. They only knew me from church maybe a handful of times, and before I knew it they invited me, a single sailor, over to their house just to spend the afternoon on a Sunday with them. They loved the stranger and in it, I learned lots of things from them. Even just sitting in their house, what was important to them? How did they honor the Lord's day? She taught me how to make lasagna with spicy sausage. Did you know you could do that? But I was like, man, this is amazing. It was an amazing dish. She taught me just, what is it like to cook good food for people who come over in an easy way? There are all sorts of opportunities the Lord will give you to disciple others if you spend time with one another. As you speak of Jesus Christ with one another and you live your life desiring to walk. This is what I'm encouraging you to do. Teach all which Jesus has commanded you that they should obey. A lot of this is caught more than it's taught.
Learning from the Congregation
It's even happened to me in this congregation. Ralph McDonald and Virginia Johnson showed me what it was like to age with dignity and to die with hope. There are things you learn from people just by spending time with them. How much time are you spending with other Christians? How much time are you purposely inviting people into your life, into your home? When's the last time you've had people from the church in your home? The question is, are you obeying?
3) Obeying the Commands
As we wrap this up, are you obeying all the commands which Jesus taught? There's two parts here. My first question is, are you actually submitting to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? When He confronts you in the Gospels about sin, do you repent? When you find yourself wracked with anxiety and fear, do you put it to the side and thanking God for all He's given you and bringing to Him your prayers and petitions and actually trusting that He's going to give you the peace of Jesus Christ? When He confronts you with things you need to be rebuked about and challenged with and turned from, are you obeying all which He has commanded you? Or are you treating it like a buffet? I think all of us are tempted towards this. As we mortify sin, there are things that we don't want to touch, because we know it's going to be hard. Maybe for you it's your anger, your impatience. Maybe for you, it's your covetousness. Or maybe for you, it's how you use your lips. It's hard to follow the commands of Jesus, but He's given us His Spirit to do that. So are you obeying all which Jesus has commanded you? Knowing that the obeying isn't your salvation. Your salvation is the trusting that He's your Lord and Savior. Trusting and believing that God raised Him from the dead. But if you're truly His disciple, are you being an apprentice? Have you just taken in the information? And are you actually doing something with it?
Living as Disciples
This is where I also have to just challenge you. We have to live as disciples. We have to live keeping these commandments ourselves because He's taught them to us. But my question is now to you. Jesus commanded you to do this. The Great Commission is for you. Will you go, disciple, baptize, and teach all that Jesus has commanded? I know this is scary. Sometimes it's difficult to enter into gospel conversations. Do you pray that God would give them to you? Do you pray for essentially softballs, as one author put it? Do you pray that God wouldn't, you know, give you a fastball that's hard to swing and you're likely to miss? But are you praying that God will lead people in your life that you can tell them about Jesus? Are you desiring to actually do the Great Commission?
No church, let me say this very carefully, no church deserves, no church deserves to be alive if the Great Commission becomes the Great Omission. We might as well shut the doors, stop paying the electric bill, and go watch TV and play golf on Sunday. If you walk out of here and you've heard all these things, it sticks in your mind, but you don't actually do something about it. Will you go? Will you teach them to observe all which He has commanded you? You can do it. It's happened for centuries. This is why the church is alive and continues to grow. But it happens by people like you taking this commission to heart, knowing that this command is for you.
Closing Prayer
Let's pray. Father, we pray, thanking you so much that you have not just given us a vague idea of what we should believe or how we should conduct our lives in light of our faith, but we thank you for the scriptures. Father, we pray that your spirit would please provoke us to be a Great Commission congregation. Lord, we pray, knowing that the nations do need the gospel, but our nation, our neighborhoods, and our family are part of that commission. Lord, please help us to be those who would obey this commission. Lord, I can't guilt people into this. I can't strong-arm them to do anything. Father, please work in your spirit that each and every one of us, myself included, would desire to make disciples, to see them baptized, and to see them taught. Lord, please help us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.