The Great Commission is straightforward, isn't it? The resurrected Christ, appearing to His eleven remaining disciples, rebukes them in their unbelief and hardness of heart (Mark 16:14) and then tells them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover" (Mark 16:15-18). The command is to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. In Matthew 28:18-20 the risen Christ also is quoted, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Once again, the command is clear to go throughout the entire world and to teach and preach and baptize in accordance with Christ's word.
This morning at church we finished the sermon series on the "I am" statements that Jesus Christ made as recorded in the gospel of John. The pastor was bringing his sermon to a close on the subject of Christ's claim "I am the resurrection and the life," and leading into the time of communion. The pastor ended by saying, "He is the one who says He is. . .(insert each the "I am" claims of Christ)." Yes, that is Christ. But it's not just that Jesus made those claims and performed the miracles.
The gospels record some very distinct conversations concerning Christ's identity and the importance of how we individually perceive Him. In Matthew 16 Jesus asks His disciples about who people say He is: "When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?' They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' 'But what about you?' He asked. 'Who do you say I am?' Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by My Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.' Then He warned his disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ."
From this passage we learn that Jesus identifies Himself as the Son of Man, the Son of God and the Messiah, one who has authority in heaven and on earth. Jesus clearly separates what others believe about Him from what the disciples believe about Him. Therefore we must remember that each of us is ultimately held accountable for what we believe and that there will be a day of judgment. We are told in Romans 10:9-10, "That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." It's not what your friends or your priest says or does or believes but what you believe and say and do. Simon Peter believed and confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Let's juxtapose Peter's confession of Christ with the mocking words of Christ's accusers. The chief priests, the scribes and the elders derided Him, saying, "He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God; let God rescue now, if He delights in Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God''' (Matthew 27:42-43). They contrasted Christ's claim with their own unbelief by mocking Him with His own words.
By not forthrightly claiming the tenets that Christ confessed, we distance ourselves from Him. By saying, "He is the one who says He is," rather than just saying, "He is," what are we really doing? Sure, we are relying on the authority of Christ to make the point for us. But we are robbing ourselves of the opportunity to make the great confession of our faith. What has Christ been doing in your life? Do you really believe that the Lord has given you this testimony for your own edification, or have you been entrusted with it to share with the world what Jesus Christ has done for you? Can the true gospel of Christ be preached without delving into His ongoing work? How can we separate ourselves from the gospel, from the Christ who has the power to change lives, if we seek to proclaim that same gospel? For we are each ongoing works in Christ Jesus our Lord, through whom we continue the process of sanctification.
Look at the example of the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19. They heard of the power of the name of Jesus Christ, about whom Paul had been preaching, and they attempted to use the power. They, however, did not know Christ. Are we really preaching the gospel if we preach only what we have heard from other sources? We must know and experience the life changing power of the risen Christ if we are to proclaim it and not appear as liars and hypocrites. We are to set an example in word and deed as believers, that not only our words but also our lives would be seen as evidence of the work of our Lord. The world does not need more storytellers who know nothing of the experiences that they tell, but more people who share the knowledge of the love and grace and mercy of Christ with the world around them.
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