Latest / Reformed Thinking / Make Disciples of All Nations, for All Authority Belongs to Jesus | John Piper
Transcript
- 0:00Welcome to Reformed Thinking. We're doing something a bit
- 0:02different today. For this special deep dive.
- 0:04We're really zeroing in on a central truth, some of the kind
- 0:08of props up our Christian faith and how we see our role in the
- 0:11world. Here on the deep dive, we like
- 0:13to sift through interesting material, pull out key insights,
- 0:16stuff you can actually use, making, you know, complicated
- 0:19ideas clearer and connecting them to your life.
- 0:22Today we're digging into parts of John Piper's book, All the
- 0:25Jesus Commanded, specifically the chapter called Make
- 0:28Disciples of all Nations. For all authority belongs to
- 0:30Jesus. Yeah, our goal today is pretty
- 0:33straightforward. Unpack the basic reasons for
- 0:35Jesus's biggest command. Figure out what it means for us
- 0:38and how it shapes how we see everything.
- 0:40We'll look at the ground floor reason for telling anyone about
- 0:43Jesus, his his total authority. We'll also check out how Jesus
- 0:47actually extends his claim over the world, what all nations
- 0:50really means in this context. And you know how long this whole
- 0:52mission thing lasts. Should be pretty eye opening.
- 0:55All right, let's get started. Let's unpack this big command
- 0:57from Jesus himself. It's really the core of what
- 1:00people often call the Great Commission, and it kicks off
- 1:03with this declaration that just sets the stage for everything
- 1:05else. We're looking at Matthew 28,
- 1:07verses 18 through 20. It's a really central bit of
- 1:11scripture for this dive. This is Jesus after the
- 1:14resurrection, gathering his followers for these final
- 1:16instructions. And he says this, All authority
- 1:18in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
- 1:21Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
- 1:24in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
- 1:27teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you.
- 1:30And behold, I'm with you always to the end of the age.
- 1:34Now, John Piper, in the book, we're looking at all that Jesus
- 1:36commanded. He actually labels this specific
- 1:38construction as command hashtag 49, Make disciples of all
- 1:42nations for all authority belongs to Jesus and just giving
- 1:45it that number, command hashtag 49, it kind of highlights how
- 1:48unique it is among all the things Jesus told us to do.
- 1:51It sets it apart. It really captures the purpose.
- 1:53The whole direction for his followers was really, really
- 1:55crucial here and it's easy to just read past.
- 1:57It is that little word. Therefore, in verse 19.
- 2:00Go. Therefore that word shows a
- 2:03direct link, like a logical connection.
- 2:05You can't really escape between Jesus saying I have all
- 2:07authority and then giving the mission.
- 2:11It means the command isn't just a suggestion, you know, right?
- 2:14It's justified. It's almost compelled by what he
- 2:17just said about his authority. Right.
- 2:18That therefore is doing a lot of work there.
- 2:21It's the hinge. And to really feel the weight of
- 2:24that command and the therefore that holds it up, we've got to
- 2:27get a solid handle on what authority actually means,
- 2:30especially Jesus's authority. So authority basically is the
- 2:34right and the ability to hold sway in a particular
- 2:36relationship. It means you have the right, the
- 2:39legitimacy and also the capacity, the power to have
- 2:42those under you do what you choose for them to do.
- 2:45It's both things. OK, the right and the ability.
- 2:47Exactly. Think about everyday examples.
- 2:49A father, right? He has authority over his kids
- 2:51and his house, but that authority doesn't extend to the
- 2:54kid next door or, you know, the mailman.
- 2:57Right, limited scope. Very limited or an army
- 2:59Lieutenant. He commands his platoon, they
- 3:01obey, but he can't boss around his captain, let alone the
- 3:05general. His authority has clear
- 3:07boundaries. Same in a classroom.
- 3:10The teacher has authority over the students in that class.
- 3:12They set the rules, guide the learning.
- 3:15But they don't have authority over the students.
- 3:17Parents or other teachers even. Or an office manager directing
- 3:21the secretaries. They have a specific sphere, but
- 3:24they certainly don't have authority over the CEO.
- 3:27These examples just help us see the pattern.
- 3:29Human authority is almost always limited to a certain area or
- 3:32relationship. OK, yeah, that helps clarify it.
- 3:35Limited domains. But then we see this amazing
- 3:37interaction Jesus has with a Roman centurion.
- 3:40It's in Matthew chapter 8. This guy, he's a military
- 3:43officer, so he lives and breathes authority, giving
- 3:45orders, taking orders. He gets it.
- 3:47He wants Jesus to heal his servant who's very sick.
- 3:50But listen to what he says. He tells Jesus, Lord, I am not
- 3:54worthy to have you come under my roof.
- 3:56Yeah, I remember this. But only say the word and my
- 3:59servant will be healed. And then he explains why he
- 4:01believes this. For I too am a man under
- 4:04authority with soldiers under me.
- 4:06And I say to 1 go and he goes into another come and he comes
- 4:09into my servant do this and he does it.
- 4:11Wow. He's drawing a parallel.
- 4:13He absolutely is. He's saying.
- 4:15Look, even I, with my limited delegated authority, can command
- 4:19things to happen within my sphere just by speaking.
- 4:23You, Jesus, clearly operate with a far greater authority.
- 4:27You don't even need to be physically present.
- 4:29Your word alone has the right and the ability to get things
- 4:32done. He understood his own limited
- 4:34authority, and he saw that Jesus possessed something similar but,
- 4:38well, absolute unbound. That's quite an insight from a
- 4:41Roman soldier. It really is and it leads us
- 4:43right back to Jesus statement. His authority is not limited
- 4:46like these human examples we just talked about when he says
- 4:49all authority in heaven and on earth has been given.
- 4:52To me, that phrase heaven and earth is like a biblical way of
- 4:55saying absolutely everything. The whole scope.
- 4:58The whole scope, total coverage, it means everyone and everything
- 5:02is subordinate to Jesus. His rightful rule covers every
- 5:05single human being who has ever lived or ever will live.
- 5:08It covers every Angel, good or bad, every demon.
- 5:11Satan himself is under Jesus's authority.
- 5:13Wow. Everything.
- 5:15Everything. And it doesn't stop there.
- 5:17It includes the entire natural world, the galaxies, the
- 5:19planets, the weather, physics, biology, everything that happens
- 5:23in creation. Nothing exists outside his
- 5:26dominion. Nothing operates independently
- 5:29of his sovereign authority. He is truly the ultimate
- 5:31authority. That phrase, all authority in
- 5:34heaven and on earth, takes on a whole new weight when you break
- 5:36it down like that. It's comprehensive, doesn't even
- 5:38quite cover it, but OK, it's one thing to declare that kind of
- 5:42authority. Jesus didn't just say it though,
- 5:44did he? He lived it out.
- 5:45Where did people actually see this rule in action during his
- 5:49time on earth? He must have shown it.
- 5:51Oh absolutely. His whole ministry was basically
- 5:53a demonstration of this claim. He didn't just talk the talk.
- 5:56His actions constantly validated his claim to all authority.
- 6:00Think about his ability to forgive sins.
- 6:02This was huge. In that culture, only God could
- 6:05forgive sins against God. So when Jesus looks at someone
- 6:09like the paralytic in Mark 2 and says Son, your sins are
- 6:12forgiven, the religious leaders immediately accuse him of
- 6:15blasphemy. Right, because he's claiming to
- 6:16do what only God can do. Precisely, they understood the
- 6:19implication. He wasn't just wishing them
- 6:21well. He was exercising a divine
- 6:23prerogative, demonstrating his unique standing.
- 6:25OK, so forgiveness of sins, what else?
- 6:28Well. His teaching itself people were
- 6:30consistently amazed because, as Mark and Matthew record, he
- 6:34taught as one who had authority and not as the scribes.
- 6:37What was the difference there? The scribes usually based their
- 6:39teaching on quoting other rabbis, citing traditions.
- 6:42Rabbi so and so said this, their authority was derivative,
- 6:47borrowed from the past. But Jesus spoke with this
- 6:51inherent authority. He'd say things like you have
- 6:55heard that it was said, but I say to you he interpreted
- 6:59scripture on his own authority, sometimes even correcting long
- 7:02held interpretations. His words just carried a
- 7:05different kind of weight. Like the source of the authority
- 7:07was in him, not just something he was quoting.
- 7:09Exactly. Then there's his power over the
- 7:11spiritual realm. He deals directly with spiritual
- 7:14opposition. He rebukes Satan in the
- 7:16wilderness temptations. You know Matthew 4 and Mark One
- 7:19tells us he commanded unclean spirits and they obeyed him
- 7:22immediately. People were astonished by that
- 7:24too, right? They were because these forces
- 7:26that terrified others were completely subject to his word.
- 7:29He had dominion there. OK, so divine claims, teaching
- 7:32authority, power over spirits. And then there's his command
- 7:36over the physical world, over nature itself.
- 7:40This is maybe the most visible demonstration for many people.
- 7:43Matthew 4 mentions he healed all kinds of diseases and
- 7:48afflictions, not just some, but all.
- 7:50The gospels are full of healing stories.
- 7:52They. Are and think about turning
- 7:54water into wine at Cana. That's not just fixing
- 7:57something, it's an act of creation, commanding the
- 7:59elements John tells us about. That yeah, his first sign.
- 8:02And maybe the most dramatic 1 Calming the storm on the Sea of
- 8:05Galilee. Mark 4 gives that amazing
- 8:07account. He wakes up, rebukes the wind,
- 8:09says to the waves, peace, be still and boom, instant calm
- 8:13the. Disciples were terrified,
- 8:14weren't they? Like who is this?
- 8:15Exactly because they saw that even the wind and the waves
- 8:19obeyed him. That's a level of authority over
- 8:21creation itself that was just staggering.
- 8:23OK, that's yeah, that's undeniable authority over
- 8:25nature. And it goes even deeper.
- 8:27He showed authority over life and death itself.
- 8:30He raised people from the dead. Jairus's daughter, the widow of
- 8:33Nain's son Lazarus. These aren't near death
- 8:36experiences. These are people who were dead
- 8:38and he brought them back to life with a command.
- 8:40That's ultimate authority, isn't it, Over life itself?
- 8:42It really is. And crucially, he claimed
- 8:45authority over his own life and death.
- 8:47He said in John 10, No one takes my life from me, but I lay it
- 8:50down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down
- 8:53and I have authority to take it up again.
- 8:55So his death and resurrection weren't things that just
- 8:57happened to him, He was in control.
- 9:00That's His claim. He actively laid down his life
- 9:03and actively took it up again demonstrating His sovereign
- 9:06power over even His own existence.
- 9:09And finally, this authority extends to the very end to
- 9:12judgment. Jesus stated that the Father has
- 9:15given Him authority to execute judgment John 5:00 and also
- 9:18authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom the
- 9:21Father has given him. John 17 So he holds the keys, so
- 9:25to speak, to final judgement and the granting of eternal life.
- 9:28His authority is absolute from beginning to end over every
- 9:32aspect of existence. OK, so when he says all
- 9:34authority has been given to me, he wasn't just making a verbal
- 9:38claim. His entire ministry was the
- 9:40proof, the demonstration of that reality across every conceivable
- 9:44domain. Which brings us back to that.
- 9:45Therefore, because he has his total authority, then says go
- 9:49make disciples. But that raises that question
- 9:51again, if he's got all the authority, why send followers?
- 9:53Why use people at all? Why doesn't he just, you know,
- 9:55peer in the sky globally and say, OK, everyone, here's the
- 9:58deal. Why the human element?
- 9:59Yeah, it's a great question, and the answer reveals something
- 10:02really central about how Jesus chooses to work out his plan in
- 10:06the world. He extends his claim.
- 10:08He exercises his authority through his followers.
- 10:10We need to go back to that. Therefore, again, his universal
- 10:13authority is the reason he has a claim on every single person and
- 10:18the command to go make disciples.
- 10:20That's the method he chose to actually lay that claim on
- 10:23people. So we're the delivery system in
- 10:25a way. Yes, the source puts it pretty
- 10:27directly. Jesus does not lay claim on a
- 10:30person directly from heaven. He lays claim on people through
- 10:33his followers. We are the designated means.
- 10:36He chooses to work through. US He does, and He established
- 10:39this principle of representation even during his earthly
- 10:41ministry. Remember in John 13 he says,
- 10:44truly, truly. I say to you, whoever receives
- 10:46the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the
- 10:49one who sent me. Matthew 10 has a similar.
- 10:51Idea OK, so receiving the messenger is like receiving
- 10:53Jesus himself. Exactly.
- 10:55He's setting up his followers to be his emissaries, his
- 10:58ambassadors. When they speak his message,
- 11:02they carry his authority. Think about it like an official
- 11:05ambassador from one country to another.
- 11:07Right. They speak for their government,
- 11:08for their king or president. Yeah.
- 11:10And how that ambassador is received reflects how their home
- 11:14country, their leader, is received.
- 11:16To welcome the ambassador is to welcome the one who sent them to
- 11:20reject the ambassador. It's to reject the one who said
- 11:22them. OK, I see the connection.
- 11:24So Jesus is essentially saying I'm sending you out and when
- 11:27people encounter you and your message, they are encountering
- 11:30me. That adds a lot of weight to the
- 11:32mission. It does now.
- 11:34Jesus did say I will build my church in Matthew 16, 18 and he
- 11:38talked about having other sheep that are not of this fold that
- 11:41he must bring in John 10. So he is the one doing the
- 11:43building in the gathering, but He doesn't mean he does it
- 11:46bypassing us. We know this because in his
- 11:49prayer in John 17, right before he died, He prayed specifically
- 11:53for future believers, those who will believe in Me through their
- 11:56word. So he builds his church through
- 11:59the words spoken by his followers.
- 12:00That's the picture. He gathers his flock from all
- 12:03over the world, but he does it through the message carried by
- 12:06those he sends out. It's a partnership, his
- 12:08sovereign work carried out through human means.
- 12:11So our role is essential to his plan, not optional.
- 12:15It appears so, and this whole idea of representation, it has
- 12:19really serious consequences for how people respond.
- 12:22Jesus made this clear too. In Luke 10, he tells his
- 12:25disciples, The one who hears you hears me, and the one who
- 12:28rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him
- 12:31who sent me. Wow, so responding to the
- 12:34followers message is responding directly to Jesus and ultimately
- 12:37to God the Father. That's the Direct Line he draws.
- 12:40It means that when his followers share the message, it's not just
- 12:43presenting information, It's presenting Jesus himself.
- 12:45His claim, his authority, and how people respond to that has
- 12:49eternal weight. OK, that definitely explains the
- 12:51why behind using followers. It's about representation and
- 12:55bringing his claim through human interaction.
- 12:58Now let's talk about The Who and where He says make disciples of
- 13:01all nations. What exactly does nations mean
- 13:05here? Does it like political
- 13:07countries? Go to Canada, go to Mexico, go
- 13:09to Japan. Yeah, that's a really common way
- 13:11to read it today. But it's crucial to understand
- 13:13what that word meant in the original context.
- 13:15The Greek word there is ethnos. It's where we get our word
- 13:18ethnic. Oh, ethnos.
- 13:19OK. And based on how that word is
- 13:21used in the Bible and as the source material points out, it
- 13:24doesn't primarily refer to political states like, say, the
- 13:27United States or Brazil or Nigeria.
- 13:30So not defined by governments or borders necessarily.
- 13:33Not primarily. It refers more to ethnic or
- 13:36language or cultural groupings. Think of people, groups, groups
- 13:39of people who share a common identity marker.
- 13:42Maybe it's language, maybe it's shared ancestry, specific
- 13:45customs, a unique cultural heritage.
- 13:48So groups within those larger political states sometimes.
- 13:51Often, yes. You can see this even in the Old
- 13:54Testament, the Scriptures, Jesus knew, Genesis 10, the table of
- 13:57nations. It lists groups like the
- 14:00Jebusites, the Amorites, the Hivites, the Sinaiites, and so
- 14:03on. These weren't all massive
- 14:06political empires, they were distinct peoples, identifiable
- 14:10groups. And that idea carries through
- 14:12the whole Bible. OK, so like tribes or people
- 14:14groups? Right.
- 14:16And think about how that applies today within a country like
- 14:18Pakistan. You have the bloc people with
- 14:20their own language and culture distinct from Punjabis or
- 14:23Sindhis. That's an Ethnos, or the Meninka
- 14:26people in Guinea, or the Booties in Indonesia, or the Wah people
- 14:31in China. These are distinct ethnic or
- 14:33linguistic groups within larger nations.
- 14:35Even here, like the source mentions the Somali community in
- 14:38Minneapolis or indigenous groups like the Dakota.
- 14:40Exactly, those are distinct ethne they have a shared
- 14:43language, culture, identity that makes them a people group in the
- 14:47biblical sense. So all nations means all these
- 14:49distinct people groups around the world.
- 14:51That's the understanding. And this reveals something
- 14:53wonderful about Jesus's intention.
- 14:56He wants his Kingdom to include people from every kind of
- 15:00background. There's no partiality here.
- 15:02His message isn't just for one culture or one part of the
- 15:05world. He's not, you know,
- 15:06fundamentally Western or Eastern.
- 15:07His plan embraces, even aims for huge ethnic diversity, all
- 15:12united in him. So the goal isn't just planting
- 15:15a church in every political country, but ensuring every
- 15:17people group has disciples. That seems to be the heart of
- 15:20it. Wherever you find a distinct
- 15:22people group, an ethnos, that doesn't have a community of
- 15:25Jesus followers among them yet, where the message hasn't taken
- 15:28root, the command is crystal clear.
- 15:30Go, go as His representatives, with His authority, His word,
- 15:34His love, His enabling presence, and make disciples there within
- 15:37that specific group. That makes the task seem even
- 15:40more specific, maybe even bigger in some ways.
- 15:42Reaching every single group. OK, so the scope is every exit
- 15:45group. Now, how long does this go on
- 15:47for? Was this just for the apostles
- 15:49or? No, the time frame is just as
- 15:51comprehensive as the scope. Jesus doesn't leave any
- 15:54ambiguity there either. At the very end of the command
- 15:57in Matthew 28.20, he adds the phrase and behold, I am with you
- 16:02always to the end of the age. To the end of the age.
- 16:05OK, that sounds pretty long term.
- 16:06It means exactly what it sounds like.
- 16:08The mission lasts until Jesus returns, until history as we
- 16:12know it reaches its conclusion. It wasn't just a task for the
- 16:16first generation. It's a continuous mandate passed
- 16:19down through all generations of his followers.
- 16:21It applies to us today just as much as it did to Peter, James
- 16:25and John. So it's an ongoing assignment
- 16:27for the church throughout history.
- 16:28Yes, and what makes this ongoing mission even possible is tied
- 16:32directly to that promise. I'm with you always.
- 16:36The source calls this his mission Sustaining Promise.
- 16:39The reason this command can continue, the reason followers
- 16:41can keep going, is because the one who gave the command, the
- 16:44one with all authority, promises his personal active presence
- 16:48with his emissaries. His presence enables the mission
- 16:51to continue. Absolutely.
- 16:53Without his presence, it would be impossible.
- 16:55With his presence, its ultimate success is assured.
- 16:58His being with us is the fuel, the backing, the power that
- 17:02keeps the mission moving forward through centuries.
- 17:04So as long as time continues and as long as there is still ethne
- 17:09people groups who haven't heard or responded.
- 17:11The command remains in effect. Go make disciples.
- 17:15It doesn't expire until he comes back and the mission is
- 17:17complete. OK, so we have this huge
- 17:19mission. Take the message of Jesus
- 17:22authority to every single ethnic group on earth and keep doing it
- 17:25until he returns, knowing he's with us.
- 17:28That sounds, well, it sounds like it might cause some
- 17:30friction. You're going out with a very
- 17:31exclusive message essentially saying our guy is the ultimate
- 17:34authority and everyone needs to follow him.
- 17:37How did Jesus expect his followers to be received when
- 17:40they carried that kind of message into a world full of
- 17:42different beliefs, different gods, different worldviews,
- 17:44especially in times like ours, maybe, where absolute claims are
- 17:48always popular, Right? And Jesus was totally realistic
- 17:51about this. He didn't sugarcoat it.
- 17:53He knew exactly what his followers would face.
- 17:56The source points out that in a world that often pushes back
- 17:58against objective truth, a world embracing relativism, his
- 18:03followers will be accused of arrogance.
- 18:05I can see that claiming your way is the only way often sounds
- 18:08arrogant to modern years. It does, because you're
- 18:11asserting that Jesus isn't just a Lord, but the one and only
- 18:15Lord of the universe, and that everyone everywhere needs to
- 18:18repent and become his disciple. That's a massive exclusive
- 18:22claim. Yeah, it cuts against the grain
- 18:24of you have your truth, I have mine.
- 18:26It does, and the message itself carries, well, serious
- 18:29implications. It includes a warning.
- 18:31John 3.36 is pretty stark. Whoever believes in the Son has
- 18:35eternal life. Whoever does not obey the Son
- 18:37shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
- 18:40That's part of the message too. So it's not just an invitation,
- 18:42it's also a warning about the consequences of rejection.
- 18:45Yes, and versus like John 5.23 and 15.23 link honoring the Son
- 18:51directly to honoring the Father, to reject Jesus is to reject God
- 18:55himself. That's inherent in the message
- 18:57his emissaries carry. OK, so arrogance, accusations.
- 19:00A message with stark consequences.
- 19:03Did Jesus prepare them for actual hostility?
- 19:06He absolutely did. He told them point blank to
- 19:08expect rejection and even hatred because that's what he
- 19:11experienced. Remember John 15.18?
- 19:13If the world hates you, know that it is hated me before it
- 19:16hated you. He sets the expectation
- 19:19following him carrying his message will likely lead to
- 19:22opposition just like it did for him.
- 19:23So push back isn't necessarily a sign you're doing something
- 19:26wrong. Often it might be a sign you're
- 19:28faithfully representing him and his claims.
- 19:30He anticipated scorn and hatred for his namesake.
- 19:33That's sobering, but did he offer any encouragement to face
- 19:36that? He did, and it's crucial.
- 19:37Amidst predicting all this difficulty, Jesus gives his
- 19:40emissaries what the source calls a double assurance. 2 bedrock
- 19:44truths to hold onto. OK, what are they?
- 19:461st all authority really is his. It's not a myth, not an opinion,
- 19:50not a wish. It's the fundamental reality of
- 19:52the universe. Their message is true and it's
- 19:56backed by the creator and sustainer of everything.
- 19:58They're not speaking for themselves.
- 20:00Knowing you're standing on ultimate reality must give some
- 20:02confidence. It should, and the second
- 20:04assurance is that promise we already mentioned.
- 20:07He will be with his emissaries till the end of the age.
- 20:10His personal presence, his backing, his help is constant
- 20:14and guaranteed. Right, the mission sustaining
- 20:16promise. And that promise connects back
- 20:18to Luke 10.1 CS. The one who hears you hears me.
- 20:22His presence means that the interactions his followers have
- 20:25are, in a real sense, interactions with him, so
- 20:28they're never truly alone in their task, and the authority
- 20:31they represent is absolutely real.
- 20:33That double assurance, his total authority and his constant
- 20:36presence is meant to be the foundation that allows his
- 20:39followers to persevere despite the inevitable opposition.
- 20:42His authority is real and he is present.
- 20:46That's the bedrock for facing pushback.
- 20:49OK, we've covered the command, the authority, the method, the
- 20:51scope, the duration of the opposition.
- 20:53It's a massive picture, but it feels like there's something
- 20:56else driving this beyond just duty or command.
- 20:59What's the the heart behind it all?
- 21:02What's God's desire in sending people out on this mission?
- 21:05That's a great question to land on because it's not just about
- 21:07fulfilling an obligation. It's rooted in God's own
- 21:10character and his longing. Think about Jesus looking out at
- 21:13the crowds in Matthew 9. He sees them harassed and
- 21:16helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, and he says the
- 21:19harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.
- 21:22Yeah, the harvest analogy. What does plentiful harvest
- 21:24suggest? It suggests a vast number of
- 21:26people who are ready, spiritually open, like ripe
- 21:29grain, waiting to be gathered into God's Kingdom.
- 21:31There's the sense of potential of readiness, but a shortage of
- 21:35workers to pull it in. So a divine awareness of need
- 21:38and opportunity. Exactly.
- 21:40And a longing for those people to be brought in.
- 21:42This isn't just passive observation.
- 21:44It leads him to say, therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of
- 21:48the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
- 21:51There's an urgency. He wants the laborers to go get
- 21:53the harvest. He does, and look at the parable
- 21:55of the great banquet in Luke 14. The master sends his servant out
- 21:59again and again, saying, Go out to the highways and hedges and
- 22:02compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.
- 22:05Compel them. That sounds strong.
- 22:07It's not about force, but about passionate urging, earnest
- 22:10invitation. It conveys this deep divine
- 22:13desire for his house, his Kingdom, his family to be full.
- 22:16He wants fellowship. He wants people to come and
- 22:18enjoy what he offers. There's a holy desire for a full
- 22:22house. A longing for connection, for
- 22:24relationship. Yes, and maybe the clearest
- 22:26window into the heart behind it is Luke 15, the chapter with the
- 22:29lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost Son.
- 22:32Jesus says, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over
- 22:351 Sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no
- 22:39repentance. Joy in heaven over one person
- 22:41turning back. Immense joy that reveals the
- 22:44ultimate goal in the deepest satisfaction of this whole
- 22:46mission. It's about reconciliation.
- 22:48It's about lost people being found.
- 22:50Each individual person who turns to God sparks this incredible
- 22:54celebration in God's presence. That joy is a huge part of the
- 22:57motivation. So the mission is driven by
- 22:59God's love for the lost and the joy he finds when they return.
- 23:03I think that's right, and it all ties back to how God himself
- 23:06operates, Jesus said in John 20, right after the resurrection.
- 23:10As the Father has sent me, Even so I am sending you AH.
- 23:14Connecting his sending of them directly to the father sending
- 23:17him. Yes, it shows this is a
- 23:18continuation of God's own pattern.
- 23:20God is ascending God. He initiated by sending his Son.
- 23:24Now the Son sends his followers. It's the ongoing way God works
- 23:27to draw people to Himself, inviting us to be part of his
- 23:30great redemptive plan. OK, so from Jesus's absolute
- 23:35authority, demonstrated in his life, death and resurrection,
- 23:38flows this command to go, representing him to every single
- 23:41ethnic group on earth, inviting them into his Kingdom until he
- 23:43returns, all fueled by God's own longing and joy.
- 23:46That's that's quite a picture. It really is.
- 23:48It frames everything differently when you see the authority
- 23:51behind it and the heart driving it.
- 23:53So as you've listened to this deep dive, thinking about
- 23:56Jesus's claim to rule everything and this assignment he gives his
- 23:59followers, what really stands out to you?
- 24:02Maybe it's just the sheer scope of his authority that he
- 24:06genuinely has the right and ability to rule over every
- 24:09single thing, including your life.
- 24:11Or maybe it's the realization that his grand strategy for
- 24:15reaching the world actually involves you personally, that he
- 24:18invites you to be his representative.
- 24:20Or maybe, considering that every single person you know, everyone
- 24:23on earth, exists under his rightful claim, whether they
- 24:26know it or not. And reflecting on that
- 24:28incredible joy in heaven when just one person turns to him.
- 24:31What does grasping this command, this authority, this mission
- 24:34mean for how you see the world day-to-day?
- 24:37How does it shape your priorities, your interactions,
- 24:39your understanding of your own place in God's big story?
- 24:42Something to definitely keep thinking about.