Matthew 28:16-20
16 “Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 “When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!” 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

In the Great Commission not only did Christ remind His disciples that He possessed ALL power but He commanded them to share His message of mercy with:

2. ALL People

Our commission is to go and share not to sit and be silent. Are you serving or being selfish? In John 20:21 Jesus clearly said: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” In His divine command to go Jesus reminds us that it is His authority that sends us, His authority that guides us, and His authority that empowers us. We are not just sent in His power we are sustained in His power. In Verse 19, after reminding His disciples of His power Christ commands us to, “Go and make disciples of ALL THE NATIONS.” It is His power that dispels our doubts. The bases of the call is not comfort it is Christ and His power. In Mark 16:15 it says, ” “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” If He is in charge then it is about His call, yet so often we center the mission around me instead of the Master. We make it about our wants instead of His Will. But the real mission is centered on making disciples. The. Mission is not about our feelings it is about making followers. Today we are in danger of making it more about our comfort than His call. Our mission and ministry is wherever we find ourselves at the moment, whether it be at work, on vacation, in a restaurant or with our family. Christian parents are to make disciples of their children. Christian employers are to make disciples of their employees. Employees are to make disciples of their fellow employees. All believers are called to share the Savior with those who do not know Jesus

SCRIPTURE: files are white for harvest few workers.

The statistics of the unreached people of the world are staggering, it is estimated that there are:

865 million unreached Muslims or Islamic followers in 3330 cultural sub-groupings

550 million unreached Hindus in 1660 cultural sub-groups

150 million unreached Chinese in 830 groups

275 million unreached Buddhists in 900 groups

2550 unreached tribal groups, many of which are mainly animistic, with a total population of 140 million

A much smaller though important unreached group are the 17 million Jews scattered across 134 countries

There are also many of our neighbors, friends, families, co-workers, classmates, and those who serve us in restaurants, and retail stores, that have never heard the Good News of the Gospel. How many unreached lives are there in your community? Jesus is calling you to a monumental mission one packed with both meaning and purpose. But Jesus did not just call us to share the story of salvation and see them get saved. It is not enough for us to reach them with the message of salvation, we are commanded to make disciples of them. Disciples are not spontaneously created at conversion; they are the product of a process involving other believers guiding them to grow in grace. Jesus came to save all men, He bore the sins of all on the accursed tree, He paid the price for all through His death, His plan is for all to hear the Gospel, to repent of their sins and follow Him. He desires that men, women, boys and girls from all four corners of the world would become His disciples. What is a disciple you might ask? Well the dictionary defines it as one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another. Biblically a disciple is someone who, by grace, has turned from their sin and in faith turned to Christ, and who learns from Christ to live like Him, and by God’s power and grace, conforms his or her words and actions to the words and will of Jesus seeking to have others become Christ’s disciples.

Not only did Jesus talk about ALL Power and ALL people but thirdly:

3. ALL Things

Verse 20 states: “teaching them to obey all things that I have commanded you” In Acts 8, we read of an Ethiopian eunuch, who had traveled to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. While returning home in his chariot, he was reading a copy of the writings of the prophet Isaiah when Philip, a disciple of Christ, met him and asked a critical question: “Do you actually know what you are reading?” The man replied: “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” His comment is crucial and one we need to understand today, for this man to get it he needed a guide, someone to lead the way for him. That is the job of a disciple to point people to the truth, which means we need to be clearly communicating the Word of God. But you can’t teach what you have not studied. In order to share His Word we first need to be a student of His Word. How well do you know your bible? Are you a student of the Word or a skimmer? Many of us stay on the surface satisfied with just skimming over the water of the Word instead of diving deep. It’s the difference between snorting and scuba diving. Now when it comes to teaching these new converts there is nothing in the teachings of the New Testament that is not included in the “teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.” As followers of Jesus we are responsible to present the whole counsel of God to those we are disciplining. We also need to note that we have not been commanded to simply present the teachings of Christ. Jesus’ was careful in the choice of words that He used here for He did not merely say: ‘Teach them all the things I have commanded you.’ Rather, he said: ‘Teach them to obey all the things I have commanded you.’ To obey a command means to “conform one’s action” to that command, to obey, or keep, it. This is not just outward conformity but inward change. This is not about keeping rules but about responding rightly. God has established a pass-along principle. As it states in 2 Timothy 2:2 “…what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” So let me ask you, are you living in ALL His Power, sharing it with ALL people, and teaching them ALL things or are you limiting the Lord and minimizing His message?

Matthew 28:16-20
16 “Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 “When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!” 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””

Not only is His authority and power sufficient to prevail over ALL of my iniquities but second His authority and power is sufficient to prevail over

B. ALL MY INCAPACITY

Many times we find ourselves at a loss as to what we are to do and how we are to carry out what God is calling us to do. But as Jeremiah 10:23 clearly states it is not about our plans but His: “LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.” God mocks man’s power, and laughs at our egotistical efforts. God never uses the pridefully powerful, the high and mighty but, instead, uses the weak things of this world to confound the wise. As 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 clearly communicates, “Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” The beauty of this truth is that God can work through you in spite of your weaknesses. When God gives you a mission to carry out He will also give you the the might and the gifts you needed to carry it to completion. The problem is that we often focus on our weakness instead of the Power of His Word. But it is never about what we can do but about what He wants to do both in and through us. Our weaknesses are just a canvas upon which God paints in power, so that a watching world cannot boast about us, but because of our weakness is forced to give God the glory. We need to stop seeing our weaknesses as an obstacle and start seeing them as an opportunity to step out in obedient faith. As Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Your frailties and failures are an opportunity for God to show the world His power. There is an African saying that reminds us not to despise and dismiss the small things , “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try spending the night in a closed room with a mosquito.” When we focus on ourselves our faults, weaknesses and limitations we may be tempted to conclude, logically enough, that we are insignificant. But look at the people God used to make a monumental impact in this world. For example, when God told Moses that he would use him to liberate Israel, Moses replied, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue” Exodus 4:10. But God reminded Moses that, as Creator, He was more than capable of helping him. God used David, who was the youngest in his family, and just a simple shepherd boy to conquer the Philistines and become the great king of Israel. He used Peter, who was fickle and unfaithful upon which to build His church. God loves to choose people and circumstances that are so simple, weak and ordinary that everyone who witnesses it knows with absolute certainty that God alone is the one who is in charge and the One creating the change. Third His authority and power is sufficient to prevail over:

C. ALL IMPEDIMENTS

There is nothing, no matter how severe, that can happen for which God does not also provide a way out, because God’s grace will always prevail. Hebrews 10:13 tells us that: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” At its root the Biblical word “power” is the ability to bring to completion something that is hindered or impeded in various ways. In the days of Jesus, the Roman Emperor had the authority to send the Roman legions from one point in the empire to another. The legions had within their ranks the power to carry out the Emperor’s orders by overcoming any and all obstacles in their way. Nothing could stop the legions when they were on the march. In like manner Christ has given us the mission to carry out His orders, overcoming any and all obstacles and impediments in our way. Not only has He given us the order but He also provides the power with which to carry them out. Which means fourthly His authority and power is sufficient for me to carry out:

D. ALL HIS IMPERATIVES.

As we have already seen if God gives you a mission He will provide the might to carry it out. What God originates He orchestrates. Philippians 4:13 reminds us “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Through Jesus Christ you can do everything God wants you to do. Not what you want but what He Wills. You can face everything he calls you to face, you can fight every battle he wants you to fight, you can obey every command, you can endure every trial, and you can overcome every temptation through Jesus Christ. Our problem is that we get our eyes of of Jesus and focus on the failure instead of the finish. Today we need the reminder of 1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Its time to start living in the victory and not the vices, to celebrate the finish and not get stuck in the failure. What are His imperatives, what is Christ calling you to face? Don’t focus on the trials and temptations focus on the truth of His word, focus on trusting not trying, resting in the Almighty and not in your ability. So what about you are you plugged into His power or are you still striving in your own strength?