What Now?, Part 1

Before Jesus disappeared and God gave his disciples a plan. Jesus said in motion for you but heaven is the only plan that will work. The only one he will honor to bless because it is the inspired plan.

That's why it is called the great commission the great commission.

That's why it's great when obeying works today on Insight for living, our Bible teacher Chuck Swindoll presents his final study in a brand-new and comprehensive teaching series from January 2021 until now. Walking through all 28 chapters of Matthew's gospel today tomorrow and again Friday is teaching series will culminate with a message from Jesus during one of Jesus last resurrection appearances he gave his disciples a mandate to make disciples around the world. Insight for living. We take this charge very seriously, so let's get started by reading from Matthew 28 is turning your Bibles to the last five verses in the gospel by Matthew. We have journeyed through this a great gospel account written by the former tax collector turned disciple who wrote it for the Jews, which explains the numerous references to the Old Testament promises given to the Jews, and references that the Jew would understand much better than any Gentile reader today is as important a message as anything that has been said in these 28 chapters. It's as if the Lord save the best for last.

In the next two Sundays. I plan to do a brief synopsis or survey of what happened to the disciples as a result of Jesus words from the great commission.

What they do they go, how do they handle life without him.

Among them that will take us. Of course, into the earliest verses of the book of acts, and perhaps other scriptures as well.

But today we want to look at these five verses that appear at the end of of the book of Matthew as we look at these words together, even though they're familiar. Let's follow along as if we are hearing them for the very first time I do that every week as I began my study and I asked you to do that today.

Listen with fresh ears and an open heart. Matthew 28 verse 16 then the 11 disciples left for Galilee going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go when they saw him they worshiped him, but some of them doubted Jesus came and told his disciples. I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit, teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I've given you, and be sure of this, I am with you always, even to the end of the age that has reference not just to the end of your life in my life, but to the end of time on earth amazing problems to study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to Insight world.org/studies. Now the message from Chuck titled what now, I am always looking for ways to make a message stick but I don't mean to make something that I'm saying memorable.

We hear so much information.

We are exposed to any number of voices, all of whom are hoping that you will remember that message but when we come to the Scriptures. My desire is that you not forget what you have heard. This is especially true today in order to make this as memorable as possible. I'm going to do something different. I'm going to begin with the legend and end the message with a story as is true of all legends and most stories they are fanciful and frequently fictional. Sometime they are true, but usually the lesson they teach is timeless. There is a timelessness in what you will hear in both legend and story today so listen well, first the legend. It takes us back to the day that Jesus returned to heaven as he has ascended from Earth back into the father's presence, his body bore the marks of suffering the scars of abuse his hands and feet had fresh scars from the rough Roman spikes that it held into the crossbeams as he hung suspended for hours before he died. The years of missed treatment showed on his face. They had taken their toll.

Before he took his seat by the father's throne. The angel Gabriel came near and said master.

You must've suffered terribly to which Jesus responded with gentleness and grace.

Yes, yes I did. So continue the Archangel of all the earthlings now know how much you love them do all of them now understand that you will accomplish their salvation by dying on the cross for them. Oh no, no, not yet replied Jesus right now only a very few know my most loyal followers who are in Galilee. Some of them in Judea. They know he said that with a heavy sigh, Gabriel stared at him perplexed trouble.

Then he asked what have you done Lord to spread your message around how will all others find out that you died and rose again for their salvation. How will they know of your love and your forgiveness, your grace and your plan for their lives for the first time Jesus smiled, pleased with that insightful question he answered, I have issued a command to Peter and James and John and the rest of my most faithful followers I've commissioned them to stay engaged in a great plan. They are to make disciples of all the nations going and baptizing in teaching others will hear the message and they will believe it and they in turn will go and tell it to others who will believe it.

Who will in turn go to others who will broadcast the message and it will be believed by more and they will tell others they will believe it and on and on.

My message will travel around the world to all the nations if they will do it. The plan will work beautifully. Jesus then set down for the first time since he had left heaven. 33 years earlier. He sat down at the right hand of the great father, God the father having finished the mission he had been sent to accomplish, but Gabriel was still troubled, turning over in his mind was one of those. What if questions so we stayed a bit longer and then leaned closer to the Savior and asked what if Peter and James and John and those others grow weary or one of the people they tell believe but then later start to drift into other pursuits who will what it way down into the 19th and 20th and even 21st-century on planet Earth.

Many just aren't committed to your great commission and they lose heart, and they drift off to things that occupy their interest in spend their money on things that are selfish and self absorbed in their witness becomes silence. Have you made other plans. Lord affected was silence filled the throne room, the Lamb of God looked up deeply into the eyes of the winged celestial servant shook his head and said no I have no other plan. The one I set in motion when I left this earth below is still the only one I will honor ambulance. It is the only planet I left for the default. The legend in their but the timeless and true lesson. As you can see lives on the plan. Jesus said in motion before he ascended back into heaven is the only plan that will work. The only one he will honor and bless because it is the inspired plan. That's why it is called the great commission the great commission. That's why it's great when obeying. It works to fully appreciate it. Again, we returned to the scene word was first given. Matthew 28 beginning at verse 16, we come to the actual setting right there in in in the land of Israel in the region of Galilee where Jesus and the disciples had the rendezvous. The mountain is never revealed specifically so we don't know which one of the mountains, but we are told that the disciples left for Galilee.

They were in Judea, down south, but they left, having been told of the women who would been at the tomb. They sent the message to the disciples. Jesus will meet you in Galilee, so they are following instructions and they come to this place in Galilee where he had told him to go look closely look at their response when they saw him. Remember now he is in a glorified state doesn't mean he's blowing it means that the whole molecular structure of his body is changed. He's able to go around the halfway around the world in a split second.

He's able to move through rock or any other solid substance with no resistance. He is of a glorified resurrected state, but they know him. He looks as he looked before and he's able to speak to them. He is already eaten a meal with them by the seashore and now they are listening to him as he gives them instruction, but we observe. The first thing they do when they see him as the worshiping, just as you and I will do when we first lay eyes on Jesus, I would imagine most of them fell to their knees. Some of them on their faces is acknowledged him because he alone is worthy of worship. Perhaps they poured out their praises as they said their words of gratitude and honor to him. But Matthew adds this comment because he was there with him. Some of them doubt. How could that be. How could you worship and doubt. Well if if I may. You and I do it all the time even when we gather to worship. There are those doubts that lie perhaps unexpressed at the moment but there they are nevertheless wonder how that situation will go tomorrow when I'm with my doctor. I wonder if what was earlier diagnosed is true. I wonder if my son will ever come back to the Lord. I question and then on and on the doubt scope so they got it.

What would they doubt will think about up until now they've always had him with them after a nice sleep they would wake up and there he was during the day when they met up with the situation where someone was struggling with demons. There he was to deal with the demons where there was someone who was crippled and unable to get around. He was there to heal them or the sea was troubled. He was there to calm it or to raise the dead, but is going to leave them there. Wonder what will happen then what will it be like when we won't have the master with us.

Surely that was one of their concerns before you are always there.

But now it feels like you're abandoning us so there struggling with doubts as well as experiencing true worship. There are so many unanswered questions in their minds. So Jesus speaks, I'm confident that much of what he said calm their questions and doubts and settle their hearts. Jesus knows this and realizing this decides to tell them what will be their marching orders from here on, and by the way following verse 20. Would you look in your Bible.

It's blank is a blank space.

This is it. This is the plan. This is the great commission.

There's nothing about PS or an addendum or later on I will give you this information know this is it. Here are the instructions for the disciples who will follow Jesus after he's left the earth. I have placed in your worship folder. An outline of today's message. I rarely call attention to that. But because I've left you spaces to fill in actual lines to write things on again. This will help the message stick if you will pull up that outline open it up and let me show you now that were at the great commission itself. In verses 1819, in the early part of 20 point out for things I observed about it. I think it will help make it even clearer that you may already think you know it. So with your pen handy. Let me observed with you these four things each begins with the name of Jesus first. We read in verse 18 Jesus came and told his disciples stop right there. Here's what I want you to write down and remember, Jesus spoke to very ordinary people who knew him personally. He spoke to very ordinary people who knew him personally.

Unfortunately we have lived our lives surrounded by those who have wanted to convey the sincerity and the devotion of the disciples and through the artist's brush, or perhaps the words of a very colorful artists are our offer. We have seen the work on campus or we read in books, words that describe the disciples in ways that make them appear as though they are some kind of super spiritual human being. They were not. They were ordinary people.

When I was a little boy. It was during World War II. We only had one car my dad use the card to go to his workplace since he was too old for the draft and he worked in armament place that was involved in the building of of the tanks in the landing craft of the of the war, so he took the car and the only way to get to church was to walk and we walked to the end of the block on our little street there in East Houston and we went to a church named St. Andrews Methodist Church as you would imagine the inside.

The church was a statue of St. Andrew St. Andrew, my dad would say there are no saints, and I would go up but was he had to sister statute. The people you talk to folks just like us that no halos are not till the Holy Spirit came on them.

Did they have any power just for men is what it says.

He told his disciples, never ready for the second. Jesus presented his plan, which was brief, simple and clear. He pursued a plan that was brief, simple and clear. He spoke calmly and deliberately.

No theological jargon, no mumbo-jumbo, no secret code language didn't require an explanation.

He doesn't explain the words he just gives them because they are all self-explanatory and look for yourself. I've been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit, teach these new disciples to obey all the commands of the one minute but just right. He had authority over everything on earth and in heaven they didn't heed his we don't. He does he makes it clear so he has the right to level command.

He certainly outranks us is the second member of the Trinity. He has the right to declare a statement that requires obedience is. This is not a suggestion.

This is a command. This would be their marching orders from now on Chuck Swindoll is talking about the master plan of Jesus to reach the world with the gospel and this is insight for living. To learn more about this ministry. Please visit us online@insightworld.org as we conclude this message it's important to remind you that these daily studies with Chuck are available to a global audience because of the generous support that arrives during this time of year. To that end, we are calling on friends like you to join us in the all-out effort to make disciples in all 195 countries of the world at this very moment while you're enjoying this program in your own hometown. Chuck's teaching spans the globe not only in English but often translated into local languages as well through vision 195 and together with friends like you.

We can implement the great commission of Jesus by making disciples to radio our website.

The mobile app, CDs, books, DVDs, the podcast are lifestream feed and more one of your fellow listeners told us in encouraging story. She said Chuck several years ago we had a Chinese teacher living with us.

She was not get a believer but was interested in hearing more about the Bible together. She and I listen to all of your sermons on each book of the Bible. We took notes together didn't understand something to stop the tape so we could discuss what he would send your sermons touched her heart before she had to return to China. She asked to be baptized since her return to her home. She is faithfully shared the gospel.

I thank you for preaching those sermons is a great just 1 More Way, God is using insight for living ministry to make disciples around the world to support this effort directly to insight.org/donate give a contribution by phone callers listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 or to give a donation online once again visit us at insight.Dall continues his final message insight for living. The preceding message.

What now in the sound recording were copyrighted in 2019 by Charles R. Swindoll. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for sleeves is strictly prohibited