Free to Go

Sermon by Pastor Steve Hopkins for the service of July 31, 2016

Scripture: Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20, NIV)

Sermon outline:

Free to Go

1. The Mission… – “Therefore go, and make disciples of all nations…”
   • “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” (Mark 1:15, NLT)
   • “He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would bey him. His rule is eternal – it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:14, NLT)
   • “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, NRSV)
2. The Means
   1. “…baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…”
      • “Or don’t you know that all who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we were buried together with him through baptism into his death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too can walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:3-4, CEB)
      • “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, everyone one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38, NIV)
   2. “…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…”
      • “So Moses told the people, ‘You must be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God, following his instructions in every detail. Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.” (Deuteronomy 5:32-33, NLT)
      • “Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching, My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” (John 14:23, NIV)
3. The Manifestation – “And surely I am with you always…”
   • “My dwelling place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Ezekiel 37:27, NRSV)
   • “Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, CEB)
   • “You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.” (John 15: 14-15, NRSV)
4. Response
   • In that past, how have I lived out God’s Mission in my everyday life? How can I do this more effectively in my everyday life? How can I do this more effectively in my life in the future?
   • What can I do to better implement the disciple-making model that Jesus emphasized?
   • How can I best practice God’s presence in my life for the benefit of his Mission? What might this mean for my life or my family’s life?