“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world; Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20
Being a guy I understand the tendency to not always want to follow instructions, especially when I purchase something that needs to be assembled ‘before’ it can be used and enjoyed. After figuring out some of it on my own and then getting stumped, I will usually end up getting out the instructions, I’ll take the time to read through them and then I’ll follow the simple steps they provide and I’ll almost always succeed. How about you? It’s not always fun having to follow instructions or directions but they are ultimately very important because if you will simply read them, believe in them and follow them, they will typically lead you through the process of producing some pretty outstanding results in your life. That’s particularly true when it comes to the assignment we’ve all been given as members of Christ’s Body on this earth. Let’s take a few moments together to take a look at probably the most important instructions that our Lord gave all of us when He was here during His earthly ministry.
Let’s consider first Luke 4:18-19; Jesus had just completed His 40 days in the wilderness, He had overcome the attack of the enemy, He was baptized by John and He was confirmed by the Voice of God (Matthew 3:17). Immediately following these extraordinary events in His life, one of the first things He did was to find His way to the synagogue where He stood up to read out of the Book of Isaiah, (Isaiah 61:1-2). You might say that He was formally introducing Himself to His own people as being their long awaited Messiah. You might even say this was His inaugural address. In addition, He explained why He came and the mission He had been given by the Father.
Luke 4:18-19 (King James Version)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
He would later state in Luke 19:10 that He had come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Not only was Jesus formally identifying Himself as their Messiah (and ours), but He was also giving them (and us) insight into what His mission was (and still is), and the specific goals of the mission. By the way, there was a reason why he stopped His reading in the middle of verse 2. Everything up to that point referenced His ‘first’ coming, and everything beyond that point referenced His ‘second’ coming; but let’s get back to our main focus which was the mission assigned Him by the Father.
Now let’s ‘fast forward’ to the end of His earthly ministry. Jesus had invested three and one half years among His people focused on the accomplishment of His mission and following the instructions He was given by God. As a matter of fact, He said that He didn’t say or do anything that He didn’t get directly from the Father (John 5:19). In simple terms, He loved His disciples (and Jerusalem, Matthew 23:37), He set the example, He preached the Gospel, He taught His disciples and all those who were drawn to Him, He validated the fact that He was their Messiah through His teaching and by the miracles He performed (Mark 16:20), He then went to the cross, was crucified and was raised on the third day. The mission however, was still ‘not’ completed.
It’s interesting to note that one of the very first things He did immediately following His resurrection was to go to where His disciples were. They were ‘laying low’ because it wasn’t particularly popular to be one of His disciples during that time. Anyway, Jesus was getting ready to return to the Father but He had some important instructions for His disciples before He left that He needed to deliver personally. We see those instructions in John 20:2
John 20:21 (King James Version)
Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
Now, let’s slow down for a minute and really think this through. What was Jesus actually saying to His chosen disciples? First of all, He was telling them not to worry or to be fearful, that it really was Him that they were seeing; and secondly, and more importantly, He was telling them that He was passing on to them the responsibility of completing the mission that He had begun during His earthly ministry; the mission He was assigned by God our Father. He was telling them that it would now be up to them to follow through and complete the mission that He had begun and that He had actually been training them to complete during His time with them – and He later promised to remain with them as they worked together to complete the mission empowered by His Spirit.
I am reminded of what the Apostle Paul said to Timothy, his young protégé in 2 Timothy 4:7-8. On many occasions, when referring to the Christian life and our walk of faith in particular, Paul would use the example of an athlete ‘running a good race’. When you consider what Jesus was saying to His disciples in John 20:21, the picture I get is that of a ‘relay race’.
Jesus was actually handing off the ‘baton’ if you will, to His disciples; not only to those who were there on that day, but in reality, to us as well if you consider His prayer in John 17: 20-21, when He prayed for all those who would come into the kingdom as the result of their fulfillment of the assignment He was giving them.
Well, we are told in Acts 1:3 that Jesus stayed with them for 40 days and continued to teach and speak of the Kingdom of God right up until the time He left to return to the Father. One of the very last instructions He gave His disciples before leaving can be seen in Mathew 28:18-20 which when completed would represent the fulfillment of what He spoke of in Luke 4:18-19 above.
Matthew 28:18-20 (King James Version)
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Jesus was not only passing on the baton to them, but He was laying out the specific instructions they were to follow, in detail as God the Father had also done for Him in Isaiah 61: 1-3. And, in addition, He reassured them by reminding them that it was going to be a ‘joint effort’ between He and them when He said that He would be ‘with them always’, even to the end of the age (or until the completion of the mission).
In essence, what He was saying was that while He expected them to continue on toward the completion of the mission after His departure, it was important that they understand that they would have to learn to rely on His presence within them in order to be able to follow and implement the instructions He had given them – that they would have to depend on and respond to Him as He had depended on and responded to the Father – which would then ultimately lead to the successful completion of the mission. You can see that illustrated in what He had said to them earlier in John 15:5.
John 15:5 (King James Version)
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
By the way, what ‘fruit’ was He speaking about? It was more than just the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ referenced in Galatians 5: 22-23. James referenced the actual ‘fruit’ Jesus was speaking about in James 5:7. Jesus’ comment in John 15:5 explains why He told them in Acts 1:4-8 to go and wait for Him there in Jerusalem until they received the promised Holy Spirit. He explained that upon receiving the Holy Spirit (His Spirit, His Presence, as promised in Matthew 28:20), they would then be empowered with the ability to execute the instructions He had given them, which would then lead to the successful completion of the important mission that God had assigned Him. More specifically, He would then be able to complete His assigned mission ‘through’ them.
Again, it was really intended to be a ‘joint effort’, as it still is today; in particular, given the fact the we are now ‘His Body’ on the earth (Ephesians 1: 22-23). The mission was assigned not only to Jesus and the early disciples but also to those of us who today are His disciples; those of us who remain committed to being busy about our Father’s business, (referred to by the Apostle Paul in II Corinthians 5: 18-21 as the ministry of reconciliation), and to hearing Him one day say, ‘Welcome home My good and faithful servant’ (Matthew 25:21).
Jesus explained to His disciples in Matthew 24:14 that the mission given Him by the Father would ultimately not be completed until the Gospel of the Kingdom had been successfully preached throughout the whole world. That’s where we come in.
Matthew 24:14 (King James Version)
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
So the question remains – how well do you follow instructions?
Luke 9:60 “But as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.”
Galatians 6:9 “Weary not in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Summary Questions
There is so much more that can be said about the mission and the instructions we have been given by the Father through His Word, but at this stage, I’d like to challenge you to consider each of the following questions in light of this brief study, and more importantly, in light of the call that’s on your life as a member of the Body of Christ. Ask the Lord to speak to you as you address each question individually.
What’s the mission?
What are the instructions?
What do these verses have in common?
Luke 4:18-19
John 20:21
Matthew 28:18-20
John 15:5
Who are they being directed to?
What’s the main message?
What should be our response?
How well are you following His instructions?
We’ve had a number of people ask about our availability to conduct Bible Studies. You’re always welcomed to join us for the regular Bible Studies we have in our home, and we’re happy to make ourselves available to conduct Bible Studies anywhere else the Lord might lead as our desire is to be a blessing to those who are hungry to learn more about who they are in Christ and how to develop a more intimate and life-changing relationship with our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You can contact us at (800) 955-0109 or through the Leadership Institute.
See you next time!
