Latest / Reformed Thinking / Make Disciples of All Nations: The Mission Cannot Fail | John Piper

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Make Disciples of All Nations: The Mission Cannot Fail | John Piper · Reformed Thinking

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  Welcome to the Deep Dive. We're the place you come to when
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  you want to get past the surface level, really understand a
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  topic. We sift through the information
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  so you don't have to. That's the goal, giving you a
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  clear path to being well informed.
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  And today we're doing a deep dive into Reformed thinking,
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  focusing on something absolutely central, the global mission
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  Jesus gave his followers. Is it just hopeful thinking, or
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  is it, well, unstoppable? Right.
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  We're looking at some excerpts here, mainly from John Piper's
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  book All That Jesus Commanded, specifically the part subtitled
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  Make Disciples of All Nations for the Mission Cannot Fail,
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  plus some related notes. Cannot fail.
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  It's a strong statement. Our aim today is to really
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  unpack the thinking behind that God strategy, why it shifted,
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  and what it means for believers today.
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  OK, let's get into it. Yeah.
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  It's great to look into these texts.
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  What really jumps out is just how clearly the sources argue
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  for the certainty of this mission.
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  It's not just wishful thinking. Certainty.
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  How so? Well, it traces this arc through
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  history, through prophecy, showing God's consistent method,
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  His plan for gathering people from, you know, everywhere,
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  every corner of the earth. So not just an afterthought,
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  this global reach. Not at all.
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  We'll see. It's presented as having a
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  divine guarantee. It's rooted in promises made way
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  back and in what Jesus himself said and did.
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  These texts argue God's plan was always universal, even when it
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  looked, well, maybe a bit focused or, as the sources say,
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  roundabout. Roundabout.
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  I like that it hints at something strategic.
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  Exactly. And this deep dive should help
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  us get our heads around why there's such certainty and
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  importantly, where we fit into that picture.
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  It's a core idea in a lot of reformed thought, this interplay
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  of divine plan and human action. OK.
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  So let's start with the sources do, which might seem a bit
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  strange for a global mission God's initial intense focus on
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  the people of Israel. Yeah, it does seem like an odd
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  place to begin if the goal is worldwide, doesn't it?
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  The sources call it God's unusual way or even a roundabout
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  way to reach the nations. So the question naturally comes
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  up, if the end goal was always everybody, why start so small,
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  so focused on one group? It's a fair question, and the
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  material suggests this wasn't, you know, a mistake or a detour.
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  It was step one foundational, laying groundwork for something
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  much, much bigger. Groundwork.
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  OK, how did that work? Well, the texts point out, Jesus
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  himself called the Jews of his time the sons of the Kingdom.
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  That wasn't just a casual phrase.
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  Right, it signified something specific.
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  It reflected a unique first privilege.
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  As the source puts it, they were the direct focus of God saving
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  actions in history up to that point.
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  And these actions were pretty significant.
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  We're hearing about major events.
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  Absolutely. The sources list things like the
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  deliverance from Egypt, the Red Sea crossing.
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  That's huge foundational to their identity.
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  And then the wilderness years. Miracles of provision there,
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  right? Manna every day, water from a
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  rock, sustaining a whole nation for decades.
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  That's not small stuff. Then the promised land itself.
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  A gift, a direct act of divine favor, and then, you know,
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  victories in battle as they settled there.
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  Psalm 105 is mentioned as a good place to see this narrative laid
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  out. God's faithfulness to Israel
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  through all these things. It really highlights their
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  unique position at that time. So it does make you wonder,
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  doesn't it? Why this one group first?
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  If the plan is always global, Why this concentration and the?
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  Sources suggest seeing it as a preparation phase, like getting
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  things ready for a much wider launch.
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  It wasn't meant to be exclusive forever.
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  A deliberate first step, setting the stage.
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  It implies a kind of divine patience, maybe a long term view
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  we don't always grasp. I think that's right.
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  It really points to God's sovereign wisdom, which is again
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  a key theme and Reformed thinking.
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  His work with Israel wasn't the final goal, but a planned
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  beginning. It served a specific purpose
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  within the Covenant story. So connect the dots for us.
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  How did focusing on Israel set the stage for something global?
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  Well, the big picture is that this sets things up for the
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  grander redemptive purpose. Even during this intense focus,
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  God's ultimate aim was universal salvation.
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  Israel's role was instrumental. Instrumental How?
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  It was through Israel that the Messiah would come, the one
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  person through whom all nations would eventually find blessing.
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  They were chosen as the channel, the initial conduit for God's
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  saving work, so that through them the rest of the world could
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  eventually be reached. OK, that makes sense.
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  The channel for the Messiah. And when Jesus arrived, he came
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  as that Jewish Messiah, born into that lineage under the law.
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  He focused his mission, as the sources say, on the Jews, giving
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  them every opportunity to know him and believe in him.
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  Which lines up with their history and the prophecies about
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  their Messiah coming first to them.
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  Exactly, and he was explicit about it during his life.
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  The texts mention him telling the 12 apostles go nowhere among
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  the Gentiles but go rather to the lost sheep of the House of
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  Israel. Pretty direct.
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  Very specific geographical limits there.
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  And he even said about his own mission at one point.
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  I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.
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  That consistent focus during his earthly ministry really stands
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  out. It underlines this deliberate
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  period of concentrating on the Jewish people first.
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  OK. So that leads us to the big
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  question, the turning point you mentioned.
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  If Jesus's own mission started so focused on Israel, what
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  happened? What caused that shift towards
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  all nations? That's the critical juncture,
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  isn't it? And the source material is very
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  clear about this turn. It's a key development and how
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  God's plan unfolds, especially when you view it from a Reform
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  standpoint as one continuous story.
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  So here's where the story takes that that surprising turn you
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  mentioned earlier. Despite this intense focus, this
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  privilege given to Israel, something happened that changed
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  the direction of the mission. And the texts are clear.
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  This wasn't Plan B. It wasn't God reacting in
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  surprise. Right.
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  It was somehow part of the original design, even though it
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  involved, well, rejection. It shows God working his
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  purposes even through human responses that might seem
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  negative on the surface. Precisely.
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  The core information we have is that most Jews did not believe
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  that Jesus was the Messiah during his lifetime.
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  That's a stark reality presented in the Gospels.
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  Yeah, multiple references are given.
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  Matthew, Mark, John all document this widespread disbelief.
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  And the reason given they generally did not expect a
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  suffering servant. Their idea was more of a
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  conquering hero, a political Liberator from Rome, not someone
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  who would suffer and die. Which led Jesus himself to
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  challenge them on a right, asking why they couldn't see
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  that the Christ had to suffer these things to enter His glory.
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  Luke 24. He did, pointing out the
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  prophecies of a suffering Messiah were in their
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  scriptures, but maybe overlooked or misunderstood because of
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  those other expectations. So the analysis, this and the
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  sources is really key here. This rejection wasn't a failure
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  of God's plan. Not at all.
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  It's presented as a deliberate part of it.
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  God had intended all along, the sources say, that this would be
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  how salvation opened up to the nation's.
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  That's quite a thought. God using disbelief to open a
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  door for you, the listener. This gives a different angle on
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  how God works out His plans, sometimes in ways we wouldn't
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  expect even through human failure to believe.
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  It's a challenging idea, but central to understanding the
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  next phase. And what's really compelling is
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  that this wider scope, this global reach, was actually
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  hinted at, even promised, in the ancient prophecies all along.
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  So it wasn't a completely new idea when the shift happened.
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  Not according to these texts. The Jewish scriptures themselves
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  talked about God's Son inheriting the nation's, about
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  all families of the nations worshipping the true God.
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  Think Psalm to ask of me, and I will make the nation's your
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  heritage. That's about the Messiah having
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  universal dominion. Inheriting the nation.
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  'S and then Isaiah 49 is cited, calling God's servant Son a
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  light for the nation's, that my salvation may reach to the end
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  of the earth. That's pretty explicit, isn't
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  it? Yeah, end of the Earth is hard
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  to miss, so the global plan was embedded from early on.
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  It seems so woven into Israel's own scriptures, setting the
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  stage for this very shift. And Jesus started to signal the
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  shift himself during his ministry gave hints of this
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  broader inclusion. Like the story of the Roman
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  Centurion. That's a great example of the
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  sources use. Here's this Gentile soldier
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  showing amazing faith while many Jewish leaders are doubting.
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  And Jesus uses that moment to say many will come from east and
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  West and recline at table with Abraham while the sons of the
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  Kingdom will be thrown out. Wow, that's a direct statement
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  about who gets in faith, not just birthright.
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  Gentiles from everywhere welcomed in, while some heirs by
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  birth are excluded through unbelief.
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  It's a radical statement for its time.
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  And remember his first sermon back home in Nazareth.
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  Yeah, that didn't go over well, did it?
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  Not at all. He angered them by bringing up
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  Old Testament examples where God showed favor to Gentiles.
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  The widow of Zarephath name in the Syrian.
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  He was pointing out that God sometimes worked outside Israel,
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  even bypassing them to bless others.
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  Challenging their exclusive view of God's favor.
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  Directly and he also declared the temple their central place
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  of worship shall be called a House of prayer for all the
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  nations, redefining its purpose from just national to truly
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  global. So these hints, these
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  statements, they were preparing the ground.
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  Pointing towards the significant change this destined shift in
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  God's strategy and that leads us into this specific period the
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  sources talk about. Right, this period identified as
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  the times of the Gentiles. That sounds significant.
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  It is. Jesus himself prophesied it,
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  saying Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the
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  Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
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  That's Luke 21. So not it's a historical
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  prediction about Jerusalem, but marking A theological era.
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  That's how the source is presented, A divinely appointed
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  time where the focus of God's saving work shifts outwards
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  towards the Gentile world. It indicates, as the notes say,
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  an appointed time for the mission to the Gentiles when
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  Israel is passed over temporarily.
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  Passed over, but not permanently forgotten.
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  No, the texts are clear on that. It's until a future day when
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  Israel will welcome their Messiah, quoting Blessed is he
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  who comes in the name of the Lord.
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  But for this current era, there's a definite shift in
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  focus. OK, so this helps us understand
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  the sequence, the flow of salvation history, why the
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  message spread beyond Israel's borders.
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  Exactly. It provides the context for why
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  the Church today looks the way it it does.
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  People from every conceivable background all brought in during
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  these times of the Gentiles. It's the outworking of this
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  specific turn in God's plan. So ultimately, what did this
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  shift mean for the Kingdom of God?
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  It meant, as Jesus warned some leaders, that the Kingdom would
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  be taken away from you, Israel, and given to a people producing
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  its fruits, a new definition of God's people.
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  And his new people is. Identified as the Church,
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  gathered from all the nations, it's no longer defined by
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  ethnicity or nationality, but by faith in Jesus and bearing the
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  fruit of that faith. Spiritual lineage, not
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  biological. That's key to a Reformed view of
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  the church. Gathered from all nations.
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  And here's the really beautiful part, the fulfillment.
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  When Gentiles become disciples, they receive Israel's Messiah.
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  When they receive Israel's Messiah, they receive Abraham's
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  God. And when they receive Abraham's
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  God, they become heirs to all the promises made to Israel.
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  So it's not replacement, it's expansion, inclusion,
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  fulfillment. Really, it loops right back to
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  God's original promise to Abraham.
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  In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
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  That initial covenant always had this global scope built into it.
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  Always there. Israel's role was to be the
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  channel for that blessing, not just keep it for themselves.
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  Precisely. The church made-up of both Jews
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  and Gentiles who believe is the ultimate expression of that
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  promise. It shows the universal heart of
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  God's plan right from the start. OK.
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  So we've traced this path, the initial focus, the shift, the
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  inclusion of the nations based on promises that were there all
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  along. Now the big payoff question.
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  What about the mission itself? It's success.
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  Right. Is this whole enterprise
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  guaranteed? And the sources seem incredibly
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  emphatic on this point. No hedging bets.
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  Absolutely none, they state. Clearly.
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  This mission is guaranteed to succeed.
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  It cannot fail. Cannot fail.
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  That's not just optimism, is it? No, it's presented as a settled
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  reality, part of God's sovereign decree.
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  The certainty of success is guaranteed.
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  Referencing Matthew 24.1 C where Jesus says this gospel will be
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  proclaimed throughout the whole world and then the end will
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  come. The language is definite will be
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  yes, the sources say there is no maybe here it will happen, it
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  will succeed and think about Jesus's own words.
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  I will build my church. That's a personal guarantee from
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  him and he also said I have other sheep that are not of this
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  fold, I must bring them also. And they will listen to my voice
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  again. Definite language.
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  He's stating his intention and his ability to gather his people
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  from everywhere. It demonstrates His divine will
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  and power to get this done. So this is a huge take away for
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  you listening. The mission getting finished
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  isn't riding on our cleverness or strength.
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  It's based on God's decree. Jesus himself ensures it.
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  That's the foundation. But it immediately raises that
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  next question, doesn't it? If it's so certain, if Jesus
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  guarantees it, well, what's our part?
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  Do we just sit back? Yeah, if the outcome's fixed,
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  why bother? And the sources tackle this head
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  on. It's that classic Reformed
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  tension. God's sovereignty and human
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  responsibility working together. How do they put it?
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  Well, Jesus guarantees the success.
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  He will see that it gets done. The texts also insist it is in
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  our hands to do it. So not a contradiction, but a
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  partnership. Both are true.
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  Both are true. God secures the end result, but
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  He uses believers as His means, His instruments.
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  The mission lines up with Scripture, which cannot be
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  broken. Luke 24.
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  Again, repentance and forgiveness should be proclaimed
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  in His name to all nations. Our activity is the way the
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  guaranteed outcome happens. So our efforts aren't pointless.
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  They're actually essential because the outcome is
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  guaranteed. They're part of the plan.
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  Exactly. It gives immense significance to
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  what we do. It's not a gamble, it's
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  participation in something stoppable.
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  And that leads right into how we participate the means God uses.
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  Right. The sources layout three primary
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  ways believers are meant to carry out this mission.
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  Prayer, the Word, and suffering. Let's take those one by one,
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  starting with prayer. Prayer comes first foundational.
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  We're told to pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest, to send
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  out laborers into his harvest. That's Luke 10.
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  Why? Because the harvest is
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  plentiful, but the laborers are few.
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  It's a command, isn't it? Pray earnestly.
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  It highlights that while the mission is gods, he uses people,
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  laborers, and there's expert need for more of them.
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  The harvest is huge. The workers are few.
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  That image really sticks. It does, and the analysis on
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  prayer here is really insightful, especially from a
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  reformed angle. It says divine promises do not
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  make prayer superfluous, they make the answer certain.
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  OK, unpack that promises make the answer certain.
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  It means when we pray for laborers aligning with God's
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  stated will and guaranteed plan, we're not just hoping, we're
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  participating in something He is doing.
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  Our prayers become part of the guaranteed success.
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  They're effective because they line up with His certain
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  purpose. So prayer isn't trying to change
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  God's mind, but aligning with His unstoppable plan and asking
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  Him to send the people needed to fulfill it.
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  That's the idea. We're actively participating in
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  His will being done. OK, so prayer is foundational.
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  What's next? Next comes the proclamation of
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  the word. This is the actual speaking, the
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  sharing of the message. Opening our mouths.
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  Right believers must open our mouths and speak the truth of
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  Jesus to all nations. It's an active mandate, we're
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  told, to proclaim from the housetops what we hear
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  whispered. Take a public.
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  Boldly, even if it's unpopular. Seems so that housetops imagery
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  suggests making it known widely. And then there's that
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  instruction from Luke 14. Go out to the highways and
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  hedges and compel people to come in that my house may be filled.
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  Compel them. That sounds strong.
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  It implies active, persuasive outreach.
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  Not aggressive, maybe, but definitely intentional.
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  Going out to find people, urging them to come in.
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  There's an urgency tied to the joy in heaven over even 1 Sinner
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  repenting that. Parable from Luke 15 Right?
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  Heaven rejoices, moreover, the one lost sheep found.
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  Exactly. It shows the value placed on
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  every single person. And tied to this proclamation is
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  acknowledging Jesus before others, with the promise that
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  He'll acknowledge us before the Father.
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  So for you listening, the take away is that sharing the good
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  news isn't just a nice idea. It's presented as a vital
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  calling connected to heavenly joy and even our own standing
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  before God. A privilege and a responsibility
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  rolled into one. OK.
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  Prayer proclamation and the third one, This one could be
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  tough suffering, the sources say.
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  It's not a bug, it's a feature. That's a way to put it.
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  Not a set back, not a sign something's wrong, but actually
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  an essential part of the mission.
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  We must be ready to suffer. Why?
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  The connection is made directly to Jesus, as the Father has sent
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  me. Even so I am sending you.
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  Jesus was sent to suffer sacrificially, so following him
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  means being willing to walk a similar path.
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  Taking up our cross, as Mark 8 puts it, yes.
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  The sources state plainly we will not be able to make
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  disciples of all nations without taking up our cross and
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  following Jesus on the Calvary Rd. of sacrificial love.
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  It points to a costly participation where enduring
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  hardship for his sake becomes a powerful form of witness.
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  How is suffering a witness? That seems counterintuitive.
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  The analysis suggests suffering is sometimes the light of Jesus
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  the world can most clearly see. It shows the reality of faith in
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  a way that mere words might not. Authenticity under pressure.
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  And it can even become an opportunity.
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  An opportunity to bear witness before powerful people, kings
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  and governors. As Luke 21 suggests, persecution
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  can put believers in places where the gospel might otherwise
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  never be heard. So it really challenges our
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  usual view of suffering, doesn't it, Seeing it not just as
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  something to avoid, but potentially as a strategic part
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  of the mission itself. It does.
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  It forces us to ask how our view lines up with this biblical
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  perspective. And the sources offer a strong
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  reassurance about this suffering.
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  A very strong one. There will be no wasted
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  suffering. None of it is pointless.
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  It's described as an occasion to speak and show the reality of
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  Jesus. It demonstrates faith's
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  authenticity. And the outcome?
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  In the long run, it leads to eternal life.
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  Remember Jesus's words. Whoever loses his life for my
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  sake and the Gospels will save it.
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  What looks like loss now is actually ultimate gain.
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  And there's even talk of rewards.
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  Yes, believers are told they are increasingly rewarded for
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  suffering for the mission. Blessed are you and others
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  revile you. Rejoice and be glad, for your
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  reward is great in heaven. That's Matthew 5.
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  It's not just about enduring, it's about future blessing and
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  joy. And this reward for you
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  listening is described ultimately as the enjoyment of
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  the inexhaustibly glorious Jesus, forever and ever.
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  So it reframes suffering entirely.
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  It's a path to a greater good for the mission, yes, but also
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  for the individual believers. Eternal joy with Christ.
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  Absolutely. It turns hardship from something
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  to dread into a means of experiencing more of God's grace
• 19:10
  now and His glory later. A completely different
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  perspective. Wow.
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  OK, so wrapping this up, this deep dive, tracing God's plan
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  from Abraham through Israel's initial focus, the shift to the
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  nations and landing on this guaranteed completion of the
• 19:24
  mission, it really does put our own small efforts into a much
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  bigger picture, doesn't it? It does.
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  It shows God's sovereign hand, guiding history, working through
• 19:33
  surprising means, even human failure to achieve His
• 19:36
  unstoppable purpose. That roundabout way ends up
• 19:39
  being the perfect way and. It highlights our role isn't
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  passive. Not at all.
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  The mission is certain, yes, But our participation through
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  prayer, through speaking the truth, and even through our
• 19:49
  willingness to face hardship, that's central.
• 19:51
  It's how God has designed for this guaranteed mission to
• 19:53
  advance. So it's not about our efforts
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  securing a shaky outcome. No, it's about our obedience
• 19:59
  being the channel God uses for His divinely assured plan.
• 20:03
  Which leaves us with a really practical question to ponder,
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  doesn't it? Go on.
• 20:07
  If we truly believe this mission, is certain that it
• 20:09
  cannot fail because Jesus guarantees it, how does that
• 20:13
  actually change things for us way today?
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  How does it shape our priorities, our actions?
• 20:18
  Yeah. How does it change how we pray,
• 20:20
  How bold we are in speaking about Jesus, how we view
• 20:24
  difficulties or opposition when they come, knowing we're part of
• 20:27
  something that will succeed? Does that certainty make a real
• 20:31
  difference in how we live? That's a good place to leave it.
• 20:34
  A lot to think about there. Thank you for joining us on the
• 20:36
  Deep Dive. We hope this look at God's
• 20:38
  global design, its certainty, and our part in it gives you
• 20:41
  much to consider as you reflect on your own faith and how God's
• 20:44
  plan continues to unfold in the world.