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What Now? · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

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  Speaker 1: Please turn in your Bibles to the last five verses
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  Speaker 1: in the Gospel by Matthew. We have journeyed through this
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  Speaker 1: great gospel account written by the former tax collector turned
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  Speaker 1: disciple who wrote it for the Jews which explains the
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  Speaker 1: numerous references to the Old Testament, promises given to the Jews,
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  Speaker 1: and references that the Jew would understand much better than
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  Speaker 1: any Gentile reader. Today marks my 86th and final message
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  Speaker 1: in the book, and it seems a good time to stop.
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  Speaker 1: You have patiently worked with me through it, and I'm
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  Speaker 1: grateful and also reminded of the words of a mentor
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  Speaker 1: of mine who would often say, it doesn't matter how
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  Speaker 1: often you go through a book in the Bible, the
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  Speaker 1: real issue is how much of it goes through you.
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  Speaker 1: Today is as important a message as anything that has
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  Speaker 1: been said in these 28 chapters. It's as if the
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  Speaker 1: Lord saved the best for last. In the next two Sundays,
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  Speaker 1: I plan to do a brief synopsis or survey of
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  Speaker 1: what happened to the disciples as a result of Jesus'
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  Speaker 1: words from the Great Commission. What did they do? Where
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  Speaker 1: did they go? How did they handle life without him
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  Speaker 1: among them? That will take us, of course, into the
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  Speaker 1: earliest verses of the book of Acts and perhaps other
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  Speaker 1: scriptures as well. But today we want to look at
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  Speaker 1: these verses five verses that appear at the end of
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  Speaker 1: the book of Matthew. If you have brought your Bible,
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  Speaker 1: I'll be reading from the New Living Translation. Your version
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  Speaker 1: may be a bit different, but similar, of course. As
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  Speaker 1: we look at these words together, even though they're familiar,
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  Speaker 1: let's follow along as if we're hearing them for the
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  Speaker 1: very first time I do that every week as I
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  Speaker 1: begin my study, and I ask you to do that today.
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  Speaker 1: Listen with fresh ears and an open heart. Let's stand
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  Speaker 1: together for the reading and the hearing of God's Word.
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  Speaker 1: Matthew 28, verse 16. Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee,
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  Speaker 1: going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
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  Speaker 1: When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some of
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  Speaker 1: them doubted. Jesus came and told his disciples, I have
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  Speaker 1: been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them
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  Speaker 1: in the name of the Father and the Son and
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  Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit, Teach these new disciples to obey all
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  Speaker 1: the commands I have given you. And be sure of this.
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  Speaker 1: I am with you always, even to the end of
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  Speaker 1: the age. That has reference not just to the end
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  Speaker 1: of your life and my life, but to the end
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  Speaker 1: of time on earth. Amazing promise. We hold in our
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  Speaker 1: hands a remarkable book, the only living book on the planet,
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  Speaker 1: the only book that no matter where you read it,
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  Speaker 1: it is able to examine our motives, to rebuke us
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  Speaker 1: for our sins, and to renew us with hope, hope
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  Speaker 1: of forgiveness, and hope to continue on. Please remain standing
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  Speaker 1: for prayer. There is a bold assurance that comes at
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  Speaker 1: the end of this great book that reminds us, dear Father,
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  Speaker 1: that we will never be abandoned. We are never on
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  Speaker 1: our own. That though we may live alone, we are
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  Speaker 1: not alone. That though we may feel isolated, we are
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  Speaker 1: not isolated. You are with us always. You stay with us.
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  Speaker 1: You minister to us. You touch our lives in ways
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  Speaker 1: that no one else can reach. And you alone are
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  Speaker 1: able to transform us from what we are naturally to
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  Speaker 1: what you want us to be supernaturally. Thank you for
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  Speaker 1: preserving the writings of Matthew, for giving us such profound
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  Speaker 1: information from a man who early in his life never
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  Speaker 1: gave a second thought to Jesus. Thank you for transforming
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  Speaker 1: his life and through his transformed life for inspiring his
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  Speaker 1: pen to write living truth that would last a lifetime.
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  Speaker 1: Open our hearts to realize, Lord, that this commission has
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  Speaker 1: no ending but continues throughout our lives on this earth
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  Speaker 1: motivate us, prompt obedience from us, reprove us for indifference
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  Speaker 1: toward it, and then empower us with the passion to
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  Speaker 1: carry it out. Use our gifts today for the purpose
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  Speaker 1: of sending this message that we love and teach and obey.
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  Speaker 1: to places far beyond these walls, into lives we've never
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  Speaker 1: met and perhaps never will, and to places we'll never go.
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  Speaker 1: Give wings to your word that these truths may fly
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  Speaker 1: free and far. We commit this prayer to you and
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  Speaker 1: our offering in the name of Jesus, our Savior, our Master,
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  Speaker 1: our Lord. Everyone said amen. Please be seated. I am
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  Speaker 1: always looking for ways to make a message stick. By
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  Speaker 1: that I mean to make something that I'm saying memorable.
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  Speaker 1: We hear so much information, we are exposed to any
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  Speaker 1: number of voices, all of whom are hoping that you'll
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  Speaker 1: remember that message. But when we come to the scriptures,
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  Speaker 1: my desire is that you not forget what you have heard.
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  Speaker 1: This is especially true today. And in order to make
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  Speaker 1: this as memorable as possible, I'm going to do something different.
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  Speaker 1: I'm going to begin with a legend and end the
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  Speaker 1: message with a story. As is true of all legends
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  Speaker 1: and most stories, they are fanciful and frequently fictional. Sometimes
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  Speaker 1: they are true, but usually the lesson they teach is timeless.
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  Speaker 1: There is a timelessness in what you will hear in
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  Speaker 1: both legend and story today. So listen well. First, the legend.
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  Speaker 1: It takes us back to the day that Jesus returned
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  Speaker 1: to heaven as he ascended from earth back into the
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  Speaker 1: Father's kingdom. presence. His body bore the marks of suffering,
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  Speaker 1: the scars of abuse. His hands and feet had fresh
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  Speaker 1: scars from the rough Roman spikes that had held him
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  Speaker 1: to the crossbeams. as he hung suspended for hours before
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  Speaker 1: he died, the years of mistreatment showed on his face.
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  Speaker 1: They had taken their toll. Before he took his seat
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  Speaker 1: by the Father's throne, the angel Gabriel came near and said, Master,
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  Speaker 1: you must have suffered terribly. to which Jesus responded with
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  Speaker 1: gentleness and grace, yes, yes I did. So, continued the archangel,
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  Speaker 1: do all the earthlings now know how much you love them?
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  Speaker 1: Do all of them now understand that you accomplished their
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  Speaker 1: salvation by dying on the cross for them? Oh, no, no,
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  Speaker 1: not yet, replied Jesus. Right now, only a very few know.
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  Speaker 1: My most loyal followers who are in Galilee, some of
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  Speaker 1: them in Judea, they know. He said that with a
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  Speaker 1: heavy sigh. Gabriel stared at him, perplexed. Troubled Then he
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  Speaker 1: asked What have you done Lord to spread your message
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  Speaker 1: around How will all others find out that You died
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  Speaker 1: and rose again for their salvation How will they know
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  Speaker 1: of your love and your forgiveness your grace and and
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  Speaker 1: your plan for their lives. For the first time, Jesus smiled,
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  Speaker 1: pleased with that insightful question. He answered, I have issued
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  Speaker 1: a command to Peter and James and John and the
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  Speaker 1: rest of my most faithful followers. I've commissioned them to
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  Speaker 1: stay engaged in a great plan. They are to make
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  Speaker 1: disciples of all the nations, going and baptizing and teaching.
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  Speaker 1: Others will hear the message and they will believe it.
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  Speaker 1: And then they in turn will go and tell it
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  Speaker 1: to others who will believe it, who will in turn
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  Speaker 1: go to others who will broadcast the message And it
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  Speaker 1: will be believed by more and they will tell others.
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  Speaker 1: They will believe it. And on and on, my message
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  Speaker 1: will travel around the world to all the nations. If
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  Speaker 1: they will do it, the plan will work beautifully. Jesus
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  Speaker 1: then sat down for the first time since he had
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  Speaker 1: left heaven. 33 years earlier, he sat down at the
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  Speaker 1: right hand of the great father, God the Father, having
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  Speaker 1: finished the mission he had been sent to accomplish. But
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  Speaker 1: Gabriel was still troubled. Turning over in his mind was
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  Speaker 1: one of those what-if questions. So we stayed a bit
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  Speaker 1: longer and then leaned closer to the Savior and asked,
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  Speaker 1: what if Peter and James and John and those others
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  Speaker 1: grow weary? Or what if the people they tell believe
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  Speaker 1: but then later start to drift into other pursuits? What
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  Speaker 1: if way down into the 19th and 20th and even
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  Speaker 1: 21st century on planet Earth, many just aren't committed to
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  Speaker 1: your great commission? And they lose heart and they drift
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  Speaker 1: off to things that occupy their interest and spend their
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  Speaker 1: money on things that are selfish and self-absorbed and their
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  Speaker 1: witness becomes silenced. Have you made other plans, Lord? A
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  Speaker 1: vacuous silence filled the throne room. The Lamb of God
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  Speaker 1: looked up deeply into the eyes of the winged celestial servant,
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  Speaker 1: shook his head and said, No, I have no other plans.
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  Speaker 1: The one I set in motion when I left this
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  Speaker 1: earth below is still the only one I will honor
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  Speaker 1: and bless. It is the only plan I left for
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  Speaker 1: them to follow. The legend ends there, but the timeless
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  Speaker 1: and true lesson As you can see, he lives on.
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  Speaker 1: The plan Jesus set in motion before he ascended back
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  Speaker 1: into heaven is the only plan that will work, the
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  Speaker 1: only one he will honor and bless because it is
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  Speaker 1: the inspired plan. That's why it is called the Great Commission.
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  Speaker 1: the Great Commission. That's why it's great. When obeyed, it works.
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  Speaker 1: To fully appreciate it again, we return to the scene
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  Speaker 1: where it was first given. Matthew 28, beginning at verse 16.
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  Speaker 1: We come to the actual setting right there in the
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  Speaker 1: land of Israel, in the region of Galilee where Jesus
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  Speaker 1: and the disciples had their rendezvous. The mountain is never
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  Speaker 1: revealed specifically, so we don't know which one of the mountains,
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  Speaker 1: but we are told that the disciples left for Galilee.
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  Speaker 1: They were in Judea down south, but they left, having
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  Speaker 1: been told by the women who had been at the tomb,
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  Speaker 1: They sent the message to the disciples, Jesus will meet
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  Speaker 1: you in Galilee. So they are following instructions and they
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  Speaker 1: come to this place in Galilee where he had told
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  Speaker 1: them to go. Look closely. Look at their response when
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  Speaker 1: they saw him. Remember now, He is in a glorified state.
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  Speaker 1: It doesn't mean he's glowing. It means that the whole
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  Speaker 1: molecular structure of his body has changed. He is able
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  Speaker 1: to go halfway around the world in a split second.
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  Speaker 1: He's able to move through rock or any other solid
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  Speaker 1: substance with no resistance. He is in a glorified, resurrected state.
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  Speaker 1: But they know him. He looks as he looked before.
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  Speaker 1: And he's able to speak to them. He has already
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  Speaker 1: eaten a meal with them by the seashore. And now
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  Speaker 1: they are listening to him as he gives them instruction.
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  Speaker 1: But we observe the first thing they do when they
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  Speaker 1: see him is they worship him. Just as you and
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  Speaker 1: I will do when we first lay eyes on Jesus.
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  Speaker 1: I would imagine most of them fell to their knees,
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  Speaker 1: some of them on their faces, as they acknowledged him
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  Speaker 1: because he alone is worthy of worship. Perhaps they poured
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  Speaker 1: out their praises as they said their words of gratitude
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  Speaker 1: and honor to him. But Matthew adds this comment, because
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  Speaker 1: he was there with them, some of them doubted. How
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  Speaker 1: could that be? How can you worship and doubt? Well,
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  Speaker 1: if I may, you and I do it all the time.
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  Speaker 1: Even when we gather to worship, there are those doubts
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  Speaker 1: that lie perhaps unexpressed at the moment, but there they
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  Speaker 1: are nevertheless. I wonder how that situation will go tomorrow
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  Speaker 1: when I'm with my doctor. I wonder if what was
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  Speaker 1: earlier diagnosed is true. I wonder if my son will
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  Speaker 1: ever come back to the Lord. I question and then
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  Speaker 1: on and on the doubts go. So they doubt it.
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  Speaker 1: What would they doubt? Well, Think about it. Up until now,
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  Speaker 1: they've always had him with them. After a night's sleep,
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  Speaker 1: they would wake up and there he was. During a
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  Speaker 1: day when they met up with a situation where someone
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  Speaker 1: was struggling with demons, there he was to deal with
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  Speaker 1: the demons. Or there was someone who was crippled and
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  Speaker 1: unable to get around. He was there to heal them.
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  Speaker 1: Or the sea was troubled. He was there to calm
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  Speaker 1: it or to raise the dead. But he's going to
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  Speaker 1: leave them. So they wonder what will happen then. What
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  Speaker 1: will it be like when we won't have the master
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  Speaker 1: with us? Surely that was one of their concerns. Before
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  Speaker 1: you were always there, but now it feels like you're
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  Speaker 1: abandoning us. So they're struggling with doubts as well as
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  Speaker 1: experiencing true worship. There are so many unanswered questions in
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  Speaker 1: their minds. So Jesus speaks. I'm confident that much of
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  Speaker 1: what he said calm their questions and doubts, and settle
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  Speaker 1: their hearts. Jesus knows this, and realizing this, decides to
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  Speaker 1: tell them what will be their marching orders from here on.
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  Speaker 1: And by the way, following verse 20, will you look
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  Speaker 1: in your Bible? It's blank. It's blank. There's a blank space.
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  Speaker 1: This is it. This is the plan. This is the
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  Speaker 1: Great Commission. There's nothing of a PS or an addendum
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  Speaker 1: or later on I will give you this information. No,
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  Speaker 1: this is it. Here are the instructions for the disciples
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  Speaker 1: who will follow Jesus after he's left the earth. I
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  Speaker 1: have placed in your worship folder an outline of today's message.
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  Speaker 1: I rarely call attention to that, but because I've left
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  Speaker 1: you spaces to fill in, actual lines to write things on, again,
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  Speaker 1: this will help the message stick. If you will pull
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  Speaker 1: out that outline, open it up, and let me show you,
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  Speaker 1: now that we're at the Great Commission itself, in verses 18, 19,
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  Speaker 1: and the early part of 20, I want to point
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  Speaker 1: out four things I observe about it. I think it
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  Speaker 1: will help make it even clearer than you may already
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  Speaker 1: think you know it. So with your pen handy, let
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  Speaker 1: me observe with you these four things. Each begins with
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  Speaker 1: the name of Jesus first. We read in verse 18,
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  Speaker 1: Jesus came and told his disciples. Stop right there. Here's
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  Speaker 1: what I want you to write down and remember. Jesus
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  Speaker 1: spoke to very ordinary people who knew him personally. He
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  Speaker 1: spoke to very ordinary people who knew him personally. Unfortunately,
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  Speaker 1: we have lived our lives surrounded by those who have
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  Speaker 1: wanted to convey the sincerity and the devotion of the disciples.
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  Speaker 1: And through the artist's brush or perhaps the words of
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  Speaker 1: a very colorful artist or author, we have seen the
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  Speaker 1: work on canvas or we've read in books. Words that
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  Speaker 1: describe the disciples in ways that make them appear as
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  Speaker 1: though they are some kind of super spiritual human beings.
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  Speaker 1: They were not. They were ordinary people. When I was
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  Speaker 1: a little boy, it was during World War II, we
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  Speaker 1: only had one car. My dad used the car to
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  Speaker 1: go to his workplace since he was too old for
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  Speaker 1: the draft. And he worked at an armament place that
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  Speaker 1: was involved in the building of the tanks and the
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  Speaker 1: landing craft of the war. So he took the car.
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  Speaker 1: And the only way we could get to church was
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  Speaker 1: to walk. And we walked to the end of the
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  Speaker 1: block on our little street there in East Houston. And
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  Speaker 1: we went to a church named St. Andrews Methodist Church.
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  Speaker 1: And as you would imagine, inside the church was a
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  Speaker 1: statue of St. Andrew. St. Andrew. So when you walked in,
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  Speaker 1: you're a little boy, six, seven years old. The first
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  Speaker 1: thing you see is this. Of course, there's a halo
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  Speaker 1: and it's white and he's got this robe and it's spotless.
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  Speaker 1: And he has the sandals. And I used to be like, wow. St. Andrew.
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  Speaker 1: My dad would say, there are no saints. And I
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  Speaker 1: would go, well, what's he? It's just a statue. But
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  Speaker 1: we're taught that there's something else. So let me make
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  Speaker 1: this real clear, in case you're missing it. The people
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  Speaker 1: he talked to were folks just like us. They had
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  Speaker 1: no miracle kits that they could reach in and get
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  Speaker 1: the tool and do a miracle. They had no halos.
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  Speaker 1: I wish artists would get rid of halos, but they
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  Speaker 1: never will. It makes them look holy. They had no uniforms.
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  Speaker 1: They didn't go to the best school. They didn't go
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  Speaker 1: to any school. They didn't go to seminary. None of
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  Speaker 1: them did. Not until the Holy Spirit came on them
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  Speaker 1: did they have any power. You wonder what they look like?
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  Speaker 1: I'm going to pause for five seconds and give you
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  Speaker 1: an example. Look around. Some of you aren't even doing that.
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  Speaker 1: Look around. Okay, there are the disciples. And you're thinking,
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  Speaker 1: they look like that? There they are. That's what they
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  Speaker 1: look like, just folks. Just men. In this case, all men.
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  Speaker 1: Just guys. He spoke to them. I know where I'm
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  Speaker 1: going with this, and I have a reason for pausing
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  Speaker 1: at this, which may seem ludicrous to some of you
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  Speaker 1: that want to hurry on. Stop thinking of anyone named
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  Speaker 1: in the scriptures as a halo wearing, saintly looking individual.
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  Speaker 1: They weren't. We've already read they doubted. They're sinful. They
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  Speaker 1: were guilty of coming to wrong conclusions. They were fearful.
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  Speaker 1: They weren't sure what to do next. They had nothing
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  Speaker 1: in their system that made them glow. Or stand out.
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  Speaker 1: And when you were around them. You wouldn't even know
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  Speaker 1: they were disciples. They didn't have any badge. Or little flags.
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  Speaker 1: I am a disciple. None of that. None of that.
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  Speaker 1: They just were men. That's what it says. He told
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  Speaker 1: his disciples. Now we're ready for the second. Jesus presented
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  Speaker 1: his plan. which was brief, simple, and clear. He presented
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  Speaker 1: a plan that was brief, simple, and clear. He spoke
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  Speaker 1: calmly and deliberately. No theological jargon, no mumbo jumbo, no
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  Speaker 1: secret code language. didn't require an explanation. He doesn't explain
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  Speaker 1: the words. He just gives them because they are all self-explanatory.
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  Speaker 1: And look for yourself. I've been given all authority in
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  Speaker 1: heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of
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  Speaker 1: all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
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  Speaker 1: and the Son and the Holy Spirit teach these new
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  Speaker 1: disciples to obey all the commands. We'll go on in
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  Speaker 1: a minute, but just stop right there. He had authority
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  Speaker 1: over everything on earth and in heaven. They didn't. He does.
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  Speaker 1: We don't. He does. And he makes that clear. So
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  Speaker 1: he has the right to level a command. He certainly
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  Speaker 1: outranks us. As the second member of the Trinity, he
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  Speaker 1: has the right to declare a statement that requires obedience.
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  Speaker 1: This is not a suggestion. This is a command. This
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  Speaker 1: would be their marching orders from now on. Now, let
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  Speaker 1: me have you notice something very important. The main verb, yeah,
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  Speaker 1: the main verb is make disciples. Now, look again at
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  Speaker 1: the commission. You would think the main verb would be go,
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  Speaker 1: but it isn't. You might even think the main verb
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  Speaker 1: would be teach. It isn't. So let me render it
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  Speaker 1: correctly or render it in a way that underscores the
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  Speaker 1: main verb. Therefore, make disciples of all the nations going, baptizing,
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  Speaker 1: and teaching. These three other words surround the main word
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  Speaker 1: make disciples. It will take going. It will certainly involve
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  Speaker 1: baptizing those who believe. And it will definitely include teaching.
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  Speaker 1: But the main commission is the making of disciples. When
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  Speaker 1: you are involved in making disciples, men, don't limit your
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  Speaker 1: involvement to the familiar, your own world. Plan to be
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  Speaker 1: going beyond the familiar to people who have a culture
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  Speaker 1: that's different from yours, who speak a language unfamiliar to you,
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  Speaker 1: because I want you to go into all, A-L-L, all
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  Speaker 1: the nations. In fact, let me have you notice the
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  Speaker 1: repeated use of all. Look at it. All authority, verse 18.
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  Speaker 1: All the nations, verse 19. All the commands, verse 20.
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  Speaker 1: I will be with you always from now on, wherever
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  Speaker 1: you go, to whatever nation. There are no limitations. There
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  Speaker 1: are no reservations. There is no area marked off because
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  Speaker 1: it is dirty or dangerous or because the people are sophisticated.
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  Speaker 1: or perhaps live in a lower standard than you. Perhaps
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  Speaker 1: they are people that are illiterate or there are those
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  Speaker 1: who are highly educated. All the nations. Now let me
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  Speaker 1: give you the third statement that I observe here. Jesus
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  Speaker 1: was intense about the mission but flexible regarding the method.
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  Speaker 1: He was intense about the mission, but flexible regarding the method.
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  Speaker 1: The words all reveal intensity. All, all, all. This church
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  Speaker 1: has on its heart a global outreach of ministry. We reach,
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  Speaker 1: as we'll see in our next Sunday or two, we
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  Speaker 1: reach where we are. We reach the community where we
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  Speaker 1: are located. We reach beyond our community. We reach beyond
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  Speaker 1: that and then beyond the seas to other places. The
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  Speaker 1: method we may use is very different from one place
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  Speaker 1: to another because Jesus doesn't spell out How to make disciples.
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  Speaker 1: He simply says, make them. I rather like that. I
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  Speaker 1: like the idea of flexibility. And we're free to go there.
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  Speaker 1: You are. Certainly free to do that. Home study group
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  Speaker 1: in one way. Person to person in another. Evangelistic outreach
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: in one way. Bible studies in another, and on and
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  Speaker 1: on I could go. Insight for Living Ministries has, as
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  Speaker 1: a part of our marching orders, what we call Vision 195.
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  Speaker 1: It comes from the fact that our State Department has
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  Speaker 1: revealed that there are 195 nations around the world. Some
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  Speaker 1: are islands, some are large nations, some are small nations.
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  Speaker 1: Some are nearby, many of them are away beyond the
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  Speaker 1: seas from where we live. But there are 195 of them.
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  Speaker 1: Our vision is to go to all of them ultimately. Now,
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  Speaker 1: having said that, we must keep in mind that there
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  Speaker 1: are different cultures at every one of those nations. You
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  Speaker 1: don't speak to people who are from Australia as you
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  Speaker 1: would speak to people who are from America. Australians have
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  Speaker 1: a culture that's unique to them. They speak English, but
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: they have a culture that's unique. You don't go to
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  Speaker 1: a country in Africa and communicate to them or expect
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  Speaker 1: from them the kind of things you would as if
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  Speaker 1: you were going to minister in New Zealand or Japan
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  Speaker 1: or Indonesia. So there's a flexibility that must be built
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  Speaker 1: into the method. Let me give you some examples, and
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: I've written them in a number of areas so you'll
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  Speaker 1: remember them. It'll hit one spot or two that you'll
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  Speaker 1: be familiar with. Your method may be large arenas, or
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  Speaker 1: it may be small groups. Your method of reaching out
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: may be to sophisticated intellectuals. They're reached one way. Or
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  Speaker 1: it may be to students on a campus another way.
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  Speaker 1: Your target may be athletes. You reach athletes a certain way,
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  Speaker 1: not like you reach artists in studios doing their unique work.
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  Speaker 1: Workers on construction sites, laborers, are reached one way. Entertainers
• 38:43
  Speaker 1: are reached another in the film industry or the television industry.
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  Speaker 1: Millennials who live in the urban sprawl are reached one way.
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: Teenagers who live in the country, smaller villages, are reached another.
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  Speaker 1: Then there are entrepreneurs. There are people in the military.
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  Speaker 1: There are professionals and politicians. There are prisoners living behind bars.
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  Speaker 1: There are islanders. There are New Yorkers. There are people
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  Speaker 1: from the metropolises around the country. Chicago, Miami, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston, Dallas.
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  Speaker 1: Los Angeles, Seattle, you can name them. That's just here
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: in America. But reaching them in Sao Paulo is not
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  Speaker 1: like reaching them in New York. Or reaching them in
• 39:42
  Speaker 1: Tokyo is not like reaching them in the heart of China.
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  Speaker 1: The point is you're to reach all the nations, keeping
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  Speaker 1: in mind that there are cultural uniquenesses that need to
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  Speaker 1: be honored, observed, cooperated with. That is why so often
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  Speaker 1: before an individual can really minister in a nation, you
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  Speaker 1: must learn the language of that nation. Because the language
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  Speaker 1: is the green light to the lives of people who
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  Speaker 1: live there. You don't know their language. You are as
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  Speaker 1: if you are living back in these United States trying
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  Speaker 1: to reach them in their country. So you've got the point.
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  Speaker 1: Flexible regarding method. Here's the fourth. Jesus expected obedient action
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  Speaker 1: from all of his followers. How do I know that?
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  Speaker 1: Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I've
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  Speaker 1: given you. You know what that says to me? I'm
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  Speaker 1: going to level with you. Nobody gets off light. I
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  Speaker 1: have no business preaching a watered down message that makes
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  Speaker 1: you feel good or helps you leave thinking man i
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  Speaker 1: pretty well have life wired unless you are engaged in
• 41:24
  Speaker 1: what god would want you to do and then you
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  Speaker 1: won't have that attitude my responsibility is to put the
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  Speaker 1: cookies on the lower shelf and not back off from
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  Speaker 1: anything christ has said and he says we're to obey
• 41:41
  Speaker 1: all the things he has commanded you don't want to
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: know something and I testify only because I know me
• 41:47
  Speaker 1: better than anybody else, it's the driving force of my life.
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  Speaker 1: Every day of my week, I think of it. I'm
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  Speaker 1: driven by it day and night. And I was before
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  Speaker 1: I went into ministry. I love the Lord that deeply.
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  Speaker 1: I just got training so I could do it better.
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  Speaker 1: But the point is, it is the driving force of
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  Speaker 1: my life. Into doing what I do. It's what takes
• 42:18
  Speaker 1: the word retirement. Out of my vocabulary. It's what says
• 42:23
  Speaker 1: to me. You need to be doing this. As long
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: as you can do it effectively. And stay at it. Because.
• 42:32
  Speaker 1: Christ expects you. To fulfill. What he has commissioned you
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: to do. Let me give you some examples. Why do
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: you buy a car? To drive it. To use it.
• 42:47
  Speaker 1: Why do you purchase fishing equipment? To fish. Skiing equipment?
• 42:52
  Speaker 1: To ski. Why do you get a home? To live
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: in it. Why do you fix a meal? To eat it.
• 43:02
  Speaker 1: Why do you build a swimming pool? To swim in it.
• 43:06
  Speaker 1: Why do you pull a book off the shelf? To
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: read it. Why do you follow Christ? You don't have
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: plans to doing what he says. We're not building a
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  Speaker 1: club here. We're engaged in what is called the Christian
• 43:24
  Speaker 1: way of life, where we trust him, follow his teaching,
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: and do it to the last day of our life, regardless. Now,
• 43:33
  Speaker 1: hopefully we do it tactfully, graciously, but consistently. And the
• 43:39
  Speaker 1: more we do it, the better we get at it.
• 43:41
  Speaker 1: Because that's why we've trusted in Jesus. We didn't trust
• 43:45
  Speaker 1: Jesus just to miss hell. We trusted in Jesus to
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: become like him so that the Lord could turn our
• 43:54
  Speaker 1: lives around and make us like Christ. In fact, his
• 44:00
  Speaker 1: last words in this gospel are so comforting. Look at
• 44:04
  Speaker 1: the assurance. Be sure of this. I'm with you always,
• 44:09
  Speaker 1: even to the end of time. Isn't that great? He
• 44:14
  Speaker 1: was not with me more when I was a younger
• 44:16
  Speaker 1: man than he is now. He is not with me
• 44:19
  Speaker 1: now more than he will be 10 years from now
• 44:22
  Speaker 1: if I'm still alive, still doing what I'm doing. He
• 44:25
  Speaker 1: is still engaged, still making himself available, still empowering us
• 44:30
  Speaker 1: to do what we're meant to do. The implication is
• 44:35
  Speaker 1: I will give all the strength you need, provide all
• 44:41
  Speaker 1: of the energy necessary Open all the doors that need
• 44:46
  Speaker 1: to be opened. And when I do, walk through them.
• 44:54
  Speaker 1: Speak to those people. Open your heart. Open your doors.
• 45:00
  Speaker 1: Open your life. The question is, are we doing it?
• 45:06
  Speaker 1: Which brings me to the story. Remember the legend? Now
• 45:12
  Speaker 1: listen to the story. On a dangerous seacoast notorious for shipwrecks,
• 45:24
  Speaker 1: there was once a crude little life-saving station. Actually, the
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: station was more like a hut with only one boat
• 45:37
  Speaker 1: for saving lives. But the few devoted members of that
• 45:43
  Speaker 1: hut kept a constant watch over the turbulent sea. With
• 45:50
  Speaker 1: little thought for themselves, they would go out day and
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: night tirelessly searching for those in danger as well as
• 46:00
  Speaker 1: the lost. Many, many lives were saved by this brave,
• 46:06
  Speaker 1: though small, band of men and women who faithfully worked
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: as a team in and out of the life-saving hut.
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: By and by, it became a very famous place. Some
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  Speaker 1: of those who had been saved, as well as others
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: along the seacoast, wanted to become associated with this little station.
• 46:35
  Speaker 1: They were willing to give their time and energy and
• 46:37
  Speaker 1: money in support of its objectives. New boats were purchased.
• 46:44
  Speaker 1: New crews were trained. The station that was once obscure
• 46:49
  Speaker 1: and crude and virtually insignificant began to grow. Some of
• 46:59
  Speaker 1: its members were unhappy that the hut was so unattractive
• 47:04
  Speaker 1: and poorly equipped. They felt a more comfortable and attractive place.
• 47:12
  Speaker 1: should be provided. Emergency cots were replaced with lovely furniture,
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: rough handmade equipment was soon discarded, and sophisticated, classy systems
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: were installed. The hut, of course, had to be torn
• 47:32
  Speaker 1: down to make room for all the additional equipment, new furniture,
• 47:39
  Speaker 1: the systems, and appointments By its completion, the life-saving station
• 47:46
  Speaker 1: had become a very popular gathering place, and its objectives
• 47:52
  Speaker 1: had begun to shift. It was now used as a
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: sort of clubhouse, an attractive building for public gatherings, saving lives,
• 48:06
  Speaker 1: feeding the hungry, strengthening the fearful, And calming the disturbed
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: rarely occurred by now. Fewer and fewer members were now
• 48:19
  Speaker 1: interested in braving the sea on life-saving missions. So they
• 48:25
  Speaker 1: hired professionals to man the lifeboats and to serve as
• 48:33
  Speaker 1: the crew to do this work. The original goal of
• 48:38
  Speaker 1: the station wasn't altogether forgotten, however. The life-saving motifs still
• 48:47
  Speaker 1: prevailed in the club's decorations. In fact, there was a
• 48:53
  Speaker 1: liturgical lifeboat preserved in the room of sweet memories with
• 49:00
  Speaker 1: soft indirect lighting which helped hide the layer of dust.
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  Speaker 1: on the once used vessel. About this time, a large
• 49:14
  Speaker 1: ship was wrecked off the coast near this place. And
• 49:20
  Speaker 1: the boat crews brought in loads of cold, wet, half-drowned people.
• 49:27
  Speaker 1: They were dirty, some terribly sick, all of them lonely, frightened.
• 49:37
  Speaker 1: Others were black and brown. And different from the majority
• 49:47
  Speaker 1: of the club members. The beautiful new club suddenly became
• 49:52
  Speaker 1: messy and cluttered. A special committee saw to it that
• 49:58
  Speaker 1: a shower house was immediately built outside and down the
• 50:03
  Speaker 1: road from the club. So victims of shipwreck could get
• 50:09
  Speaker 1: cleaned up. before coming inside the nice building. At the
• 50:17
  Speaker 1: next meeting, there were strong words and angry feelings, which
• 50:22
  Speaker 1: resulted in a division among the members. Most of the
• 50:29
  Speaker 1: people wanted to stop the club's lifesaving activities and all
• 50:34
  Speaker 1: involvements with shipwreck victims. As they put it, it's just
• 50:40
  Speaker 1: too unpleasant. It's a hindrance to our social life. It's
• 50:46
  Speaker 1: really opening doors to folks who are not our kind.
• 50:56
  Speaker 1: As you would expect, some still insisted on saving lives,
• 51:01
  Speaker 1: that this was their primary objective, that their only reason
• 51:06
  Speaker 1: for existence was ministering to anyone needing help regardless of
• 51:12
  Speaker 1: the club's beauty or size or decorations. They were voted down,
• 51:19
  Speaker 1: and they were told if they wanted to save the
• 51:22
  Speaker 1: lives of various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in
• 51:25
  Speaker 1: those waters, they could begin their own life-saving station down
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: the coast, which they did. As years passed, the new
• 51:41
  Speaker 1: station experienced the same old changes. It evolved into yet
• 51:48
  Speaker 1: another club, and yet another life-saving station was begun elsewhere.
• 52:00
  Speaker 1: History continued to repeat itself, and if you visit the
• 52:04
  Speaker 1: coastline today, you'll find a large number of exclusive, impressive
• 52:09
  Speaker 1: videos Clubs along there owned and operated by slick professionals
• 52:16
  Speaker 1: who have lost all involvement with the saving and rescuing
• 52:21
  Speaker 1: of lives. Shipwrecks still occur in those waters. But now
• 52:32
  Speaker 1: most of the victims are not saved. Every day They
• 52:41
  Speaker 1: drown at sea. And so few seem to care. So
• 52:50
  Speaker 1: very few. Remember Gabriel's question? You remember it, don't you?
• 53:03
  Speaker 1: Have you made other plans? If those 21st century people
• 53:10
  Speaker 1: People grow weary of obeying your commission. Remember the answer? No.
• 53:20
  Speaker 1: I have no other plan. The Great Commission or there
• 53:27
  Speaker 1: is no other plan. Now I close with a question.
• 53:36
  Speaker 1: Are you engaged in your life in obeying the Great Commission.
• 53:47
  Speaker 1: In case you wonder about how you can answer, can
• 53:51
  Speaker 1: you name a disciple as a result of your influencing
• 53:58
  Speaker 1: their life, reaching out, speaking, caring, rescuing, loving, Those who
• 54:13
  Speaker 1: were lost. Please bow with me. Sit very quietly right there.
• 54:26
  Speaker 1: And think about what you have just heard. The question
• 54:34
  Speaker 1: is really not how much of Matthew have we gone through.
• 54:43
  Speaker 1: but rather how much of Matthew has gone through us.
• 54:52
  Speaker 1: Jesus really meant it when he said, go, make disciples,
• 55:02
  Speaker 1: baptize and teach, and do it from now on. I
• 55:10
  Speaker 1: am with you All the way to the end. If
• 55:18
  Speaker 1: we can help you get engaged. In this vision. Nothing
• 55:24
  Speaker 1: would thrill us more. For we're really not here just
• 55:29
  Speaker 1: to study. We're here to obey. As we make Christ known.
• 55:39
  Speaker 1: In this desperate. Hostile. Lost world. Be our vision, O Lord,
• 55:50
  Speaker 1: we pray. Break us free from habits of indifference and
• 55:58
  Speaker 1: self-satisfying objectives for living. Free us in our giving so
• 56:06
  Speaker 1: that we release rather than withhold. Give us eyes to
• 56:13
  Speaker 1: see beyond the obvious and to hear the hurts of
• 56:18
  Speaker 1: Along the ragged edges of people's lives. Behind the tears
• 56:25
  Speaker 1: in their eyes. And the brokenness in their voices. Cultivate
• 56:32
  Speaker 1: within us as a church. A continued heart of compassion.
• 56:40
  Speaker 1: As we do what you have commanded us to do.
• 56:48
  Speaker 1: go and to make disciples of all nations. I pray this, Father,
• 57:00
  Speaker 1: believingly in the name of Jesus, our Savior. And all
• 57:06
  Speaker 1: God's people said, Amen. Amen. The preceding message, What Now?
• 57:16
  Speaker 1: and the sound recording were copyrighted in 2018 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc.
• 57:22
  Speaker 1: All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for
• 57:26
  Speaker 1: commercial use is strictly prohibited.