Matthew 28:18-20

Wow, how on earth does one do any justice in commenting on these powerful verses? We are first told by our Lord Jesus that “all authority in heaven and on earth” has been given to Him. We are also told our greatest calling from God is to “go and make disciples” in His powerful authority. And lastly, we are also thankfully told that the Lord Jesus will never leave us as He firmly states “I am with you always”. This is the Great Commission.

In these concluding words of Matthew, our Lord sends His guys forth (and His every other subsequent follower) with the firm directive of “Go and make disciples” in His all-encompassing mighty authority. The key to this commissioning is the authority of Jesus and the key to this authority is the disciple’s knowledge and worship of the One whose name they bear. We cannot give what we do not possess. We must make it a daily divine appointment to be filled - enabling us to be spilled to all we encounter that day. Like manna, we are to collect the grace sufficient to meet our needs for the day. We cannot gobble up and hoard – it does not work that way. Our God is relational and desires to meet with us daily. Yet He is a Gentleman and will never force Himself upon us. We are the great losers when we neglect to meet with Him. His desire is to overflow our cups empowering and equipping us to splash His grace upon all in our spheres of influence. Abiding in Him is the only way for the disciple to keep going forth in the proper direction which is God’s profitable, pleasing and perfect way. God will sovereignly engineer our goings from the neighbor next door to the child in Ethiopia and everywhere in-between. He stirs up the hearts of His disciples to disperse them throughout the world. We do not have to sit around scratching our heads wondering what direction to take. He will make it clear. We must be readied – prepared vessels for His use going forth in Christ’s power and authority not in our own weak strength and capricious decisions or else our works will be fruitless - not eternal. I am reminded of Paul’s prayer in Ephesians regarding Jesus’ authority:

18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Eph 1:18-23 (NIV)

“In short, the rod of Moses was a rod of power, a rod of authority. But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel; nor yet to bring the people through the desert. Grace alone could do that; and we have the expression of pure grace, --free, sovereign grace—in the budding of Aaron’s rod. That dry, dead stick was the apt figure of Israel’s condition, and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature. There was no sap, no life, no power. One might say, ‘What good can ever come of it?’ None whatever, had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power. So it was with Israel in the wilderness; so is it with us now. How were they to be led along from day to day? How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need? The answer is found in Aaron’s budding rod. If the dry, dead stick was the expression of (our) barren and worthless condition; the buds, blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness...Priesthood alone could supply what was needed; and bring fruit out of a dry rod...All ministry in the Church is the fruit of divine grace---the gift of Christ, the Church’s head.” C H Macintosh

To be sure, this same power is made readily available to all believers in the present day. We are to make the command of Christ our rule as well. As Jesus sends us out as His ambassadors, we go forth in His credentials. He is the Lord of all. He has all power in heaven – He has authority and power over the angels and He has the power of intercession with the Father interceding not as One who appeals but One who desires. He has all power on earth as well by the ministry of reconciliation. Paul states in 2 Corinthians:

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor 5:17-21 (NIV)

“All souls belong to Him, and to Him every heart and knee must bow, and every tongue must confess Him to be Lord.” Matthew Henry

11 It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Romans 14:11-12 (NIV)

Lastly, we are sweetly reminded of His continual spiritual presence. The Comforter abides with believers. He is with us – not far away. He is not against us rather for us. He is at our side and takes our side. He is our very present help. He bears us up and pleads our cause. His eye is ever on us. He is with us in all service and in all sufferings – in all joy and in all sorrows. He makes our ministry effective and triumphant. All this is a continual favor even to the end of the world. His presence is constantly with us – all day, every day without intermission. Amazing!

“The God of Israel, the Saviour, is sometimes a God that hideth himself but never a God who absents himself; sometimes in the dark, but never at a distance.” Matthew Henry