The Great Commission (Matthew 28. 18-20)

by R. T. H. Horne | Category: General | Jun 1944

In giving the disciples the commission embodying His will for them during this present dispensation the Lord prefaces its contents with the statement

"All authority hath been given unto Me

in heaven and on earth

We learn from 1-Peter 3. 22 "that angels and authorities and powers" have been made subject unto Him and from John 17 2 that He has been given "authority over all flesh".

Consequently, there is no adverse power m heaven or on earth which is able to defeat the accomplishment of His will. What confidence this truth should beget in the hearts of His serving ones! The day is coming when " every knee" shall bow m subjection to this Sovereign Lord (Philippians 2. 10) His all authority will then be seen and recognised and the blessing of being under such

authority will be enjoyed by His subjects

The " all authority" of the Lord to day is directed towards the attainment of men's highest good, in bringing them into covenant, relationship with Him to enjoy its benefits and those of the kingdom wherein He rules and where His authority is owned.

In the accomplishment of God's will the Trinity is actively engaged. " My Father worketh even until now and I work" the Jesus said: and again, of the Holy Spirit He said "He... will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement" (John 5.17 168) The Father the Son and the Holy Spirit are thus seen here and in many other passages working to fill the Divine will.

Angelic beings also are engaged in God's work on earth "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation (Hebrews 1 14) In the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8.) an angel is seen directing the evangelist, and again angelic ministry is seen in the case of Cornelius (Acts 10.). In the passage we are considering (Matthew 28) men are commissioned in regard to their part in the fulfilment of Divine purpose.

Men deem it an honour to be commissioned by an earthly sovereign to undertake some special service but what may we say of those who are commissioned by the King of kings? What a privilege to be called into the service of the Eternal God wherein the angelic hosts are actually engaged!

The command is, Go ye therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all things whatsoever commanded you: and lo I am with you alway even unto the end of the world."

This service which the Lord sets before us should be our life work all other occupations in the Christian's life should be related to and be a means of promoting this, the eat purpose and object of our lives.

In the scope of the commission the whole world is brought into view, " all the nations." As we contemplate the vast field for labour which is spread- before us, we must acknowledge the truth of the words of the Lord :-" The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few," and see the need for compliance with the command, " Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He send forth labourers into His harvest" (Matthew 9.37, 38).

Disciples are to be made. The precious message of the gospel is the means whereby men's hearts are to be won. Oh for feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace!

"The gospel of Thy grace, my stubborn heart has won," -

has been the experience of countless multitudes. Human need is great, and only the message of the gospel of God concerning His Son is sufficient to meet that need.

We are not called upon to engage in a vain endeavour, for God's purpose will be achieved. A glimpse of this is seen in the "great multitude, which no man could number out of every nation, and of all tribes and peoples and tongues," that stand "before the throne and before the Lamb," who ascribe salvation unto their "God, which sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb" (Revelation 7.9, 10).

When hearts have been won and disciples have been made, they are to be baptised "into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

The people of Israel were baptised unto Moses as they passed through the. waters of the Red Sea, with the cloud above them (1 Corinthians 10.1, .2). Thus they acknowledged Moses as their God-given leader. Although they often murmured against him it was indeed a great privilege to be associated with such a leader. In later times they gloried in their claim, "We are disciples of Moses" (John 9.28). It was a privilege to have as their God-given leader a man with the knowledge and ability, the wisdom and courage of Moses. By baptism to-day disciples are brought into association not with a mere man but with a Leader who is truly God, One of the Trinity, the blessed Son of God. He Himself traversed the journey of life and triumphed over all its trials and difficulties, and is now seated on the right hand of the Majesty on high. "He is. able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through Him" (Hebrews 7.25). In Him "are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden" (Colossians 2.8).

Placing themselves thus under the authority of the Lord Jesus, the disciples are to be taught "to observe all things whatsoever"

He, the great Leader, has commanded.

In Luke 22.19, we read of the Lord that" He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and gave to them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me." It is clear that this is one of the many things the disciples are to be taught to observe, for we read of those in Acts 2 who responded. Peter's call on the day of Pentecost "Repent ye and be baptized" that, having been added "they continued stedfastly in the breaking of the bread" (verses 38. 41, 42) Moreover later on Paul wrote to the Church of God in Corinth "I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you how that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, This is My body, which is for you : this do in remembrance of Me " (1 Corinthians 11. 23, 24) Happy indeed are they who have learned the way and the place in which the Lord would have them thus to do!

"A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one even as I have loved you that ye also love each other (John 13. 34 ) is another-equally important command of the Lord Was it m order that this might be. accomplished that the Lord Jesus said in His prayer to the Father concerning His disciples I made known unto them Thy name, and will make it known that the love wherewith Thou lovedst Me may be in them and I in them" (John 17. 26)?

From the writings of the apostles who taught the all things which the Lord commanded we learn that the disciples when brought into the Divine position (Acts 2 41 42) are there collectively to serve the Lord in Holy Priesthood character and by the power of the indwelling Spirit of God, as Christ is formed in them, to shew forth the excellencies of Him" who called them "out of darkness into His marvellous light" (1 Peter 2. 5-9)

As the conditions of the commission of the Lord are adhered to we may claim the fulfilment of His promise Lo I am with you always (Greek, all the days) even unto the end of the age. We may, therefore, be free from the fear which Moses expressed in Exodus 33.15, "If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence."

So we pray Saviour, through the desert lead us;

Without Thee we cannot go;

Thou from cruel chains hast freed us,

Thou hast laid the tyrant low;

Let Thy presence

Cheer us all the desert through.

Through the desert, waste and cheerless,

Though our destined journey lie,

Rendered by Thy presence fearless,

We may every foe defy;

Naught shall move us,

While we see Thee, Saviour, nigh."

Let us then go forward in the power of the" all authority," seeking to stretch out to " all the nations," and to teach" all things "that the Lord has commanded, in the consciousness of His abiding presence with us "all the days," unto the end of the age.

R. T. H. Horne | Jun 1944
General