Final Words (The Great Commission)
#160 in Series: "The Life of Christ – in a Harmony of The Gospels"
Matthew 28:16-20, Luke 24:44-53, Acts 1:1-12
(In Jesus' final words to His disciples before ascending back to heaven He emphasizes the importance of our being equipped by the Word of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and personally committed to getting the gospel to people, until He returns!)
We come today to the 160th, and final message in our series; "The Life of Christ – in a Harmony of The Gospels"... The first message in this series was on December 5, 2021… Frankly, I had no idea at the time that we would take almost 4 years to … quickly peruse the Gospel reports on the life and ministry of Jesus… But, here we are.
Last words… are always important. Matthew, and Luke both give details about the last message Jesus proclaimed to His disciples. (The end of Mark's gospel also gives reference to this message…) It may be that Jesus gave this same message, on a couple of different occasions during those last 40 days between Jesus' resurrection from the dead, and His ascension back to heaven.
You may be most familiar with Matthew's account. We camped out on his report not long ago, when we dedicated a whole service to the celebration of baptism, and a focus on "The Gospel on Display"...
Today, we will look to Luke's report for this final message in this series…
Turn with me to Luke 24, beginning with verse :44 –
Luke 24:44-53
44 Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." 50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple praising God.
Now, turn over to the first chapter of the book of Acts, and let's read Luke's second report about this encounter… Keep in mind that he wrote, both the Gospel (Luke 1:3), and Acts (1:1) to an individual named Theophilus…
We don't know who Theophilus was. What we do know is that his name means; "loved by God", and also has the idea of "friend of God" – which should be the ambition of all of us!... Luke is writing to a specific individual, but is also a message God intends for all Christians in all centuries…
Let's pick up with the opening verses of the book of Acts –
Acts 1:1-12
1 The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. 4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." 6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” 9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
As we think about the final words Jesus spoke to His disciples before ascending back to heaven, we need to spend time with both of these passages…
Our approach will be relatively simple. We are going to focus on a few major themes presented in the texts, and center our thoughts around those. In fact, we will find several of these themes intermingled throughout the text… There is certainly more detail in these passages than we have time to unpack, but let's try to grasp, and apply the main themes …
Let's begin with what I hope becomes obvious, and that it –
1. The Priority of the Scriptures
As we jump in, it is more than interesting to me that Jesus not merely points the disciples to the Scriptures – He drives them there!... He drives home the point that everything Jesus is about, is connected to the Word of God!
Luke 24:44-45
44 Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." [Jesus reminds the disciples that His whole life and ministry has been about the fulfilling of the Father's will!... And He speaks again about how His assignment was all prescribed in the Scriptures … the O.T.!... And notice what is said next – ] 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, [Jesus does for those disciples then, what the Holy Spirit does for us now!... He "opened their minds to the Scripture!"...]
Listen, this is no small matter… The Scriptures contain all the information we need for understanding what we need to understand for this life – how to live in it – how to overcome it – how to live and experience the eternal life that Christ gives!...
The very Word of God is essential for the Christian life!... As we fill our minds with it, the Author – the Holy Spirit – accompanies His Word and not only "opens our minds", but He "opens our hearts", and transforms them to align with His will and purpose for our lives!
This is the very process needed for "growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord"! (2 Peter 3:18)... The Word of God is the very implement the Holy Spirit uses to … grow us up in the faith! He opens the mind, the heart, and the will to joyfully surrender to the Author of the Word! Our values are aligned with His. Our purpose is found in, and fulfilled by Him working His Word into our lives! We grow to have Biblical convictions – that leads to Christ-like character!
This not only happens for the individual disciple – but it happens for the church – and even an entire culture of people who come to know the grace of God in this way!...
I came across a couple of quotes from MacArthur that sum this up best!... In his book, Strange Fire, he said –
John MacArthur - "The Reformation was the inevitable and explosive consequence of the Word of God crashing like a massive tidal wave against the thin barricades of man-made tradition and hypocritical religion. As the common people of Europe gained access to the Scriptures in their own language, the Spirit of God used that timeless truth to convict their hearts and convert their souls. The result was utterly transformative, not only for the lives of individual sinners, but for the entire continent on which they resided."
In his book, Final Word, MacArthur wrote –
John MacArthur - "The more that God's Word is removed from our lives, the more inhibited our spiritual progress becomes. Nothing else can do the work that the truth does. There is no sanctifying power in human wisdom, intuition, insight, or experience. It is only in the Word of God. Only the truth revealed in Scripture sanctifies – sound teaching accurately interpreted, understood, and applied. As divine revelation is embraced, spiritual progress is made. There are no alternative routes to godly character and holy living."
Notice what comes next –
The disciples then, and disciples today, have the responsibility of being witnesses to the gospel!
Luke 24:46-48
46 and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. [This is the gospel!... and once again, He gives the disciples their assignment:] 48 You are witnesses of these things.
There is a two-edged meaning to the phrase; "you are witnesses of these things"... One, Jesus is saying to those disciples then, that they have witnessed these things themselves! They are "eye-witnesses" to the plan and purpose of Jesus' life, including His death and resurrection!...
And Jesus is saying more than the fact that they have witnessed these things – but that they are also to give witness to these things! Disciples are witness to the gospel! We have experienced the gospels ourselves – and we share the gospel with others!... The more we share the gospel – the more we will encounter God's elect, and see them brought into the faith – the faith that –
Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
And how are we going to be able to carry out the assignment of sharing this gospel?... Jesus immediately speaks to this… We will simply refer to it as –
2. The Power of the Spirit
Luke 24:49
And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."
In these … final words that Jesus speaks to His disciples before He returns to heaven, He speaks more directly about the coming of the Holy Spirit to empower His disciples then, and would continue to empower Christians in the future…
We know from hindsight, that there are only a few days – 10 days – between the time Jesus ascends into heaven and when the Holy Spirit comes to empower the church on the day of Pentecost… 10 days can feel long, and one can miss the significance … in the wait if they are not careful…
Why do you suppose Jesus would tell His disciples to wait?... If the empowerment of the Holy Spirit is so essential, so needed, … so important – why wait?...
Do you know there is value in the wait?... There is purpose in the wait?... God is above time, and not limited by time – but He is the Creator of time, and has a purpose for time – even in His instruction … to wait!
Waiting has layers of … value that immediacy can not provide…
Waiting enhances anticipation… Waiting emphasises the value of what is coming. Waiting teaches submission to God, and His … unexplained purposes for the waiting… Waiting is a crucible for learning to trust – and trust is the demonstration of faith – faith in God…
But, let's move on to the point… What were the disciples to wait for?... The coming of the Holy Spirit to empower them beyond any previous experience or knowledge of such power!
Luke records in Acts 1 that Jesus spoke to the very purpose of His / The Holy Spirit's coming power! –
Acts 1:8
but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
So, the Holy Spirit empowers … enable Christians to take the gospel to all the world!... We go, not only by His enabling… We go, because of His – get this – His persuading! We go in the persuasion that the message we are to share is truth! The truth that is in Jesus Alone! The truth that is so desperately needed by the world!... We go, not just because we now can – we go because we should!
Earlier, Jesus said –
John 16:13
But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
The Holy Spirit equips the Christian – enables the Christian… and get this, this is important… The Holy Spirit goes before the Christian, and with the Christian to do what only the Holy Spirit can do!... And what is that? Jesus told us! –
John 16:8
And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
The Spirit of Truth will do the persuading … of the need for truth. He does the work of persuading with the truth. And it is He Who does the immediate, and final work of … judgment with the truth!
Convicting, persuading, and judging is not our job! Telling the truth, compassionately, boldly, courageously, graciously, and even passionately … is!
It is the Holy Spirit Who will convict, convince, and convert!... It is the Holy Spirit Who will work in the depths of one's being, to … bring them to Jesus!
Jesus said –
John 15:26
"When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,
That is how we can accurately critique whether a so-called ministry is in-fact being led by the Holy Spirit – is the focus of that ministry on Jesus, or the Holy Spirit?... The authentic, will be on Jesus!
Martyn Lloyd-Jones said – "The Spirit does not glorify Himself; He glorifies the Son… This is, to me, one of the most amazing and remarkable things about the biblical doctrine of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit seems to hide Himself and to conceal Himself. He is always, as it were, putting the focus on the Son, and that is why I believe, and I believe profoundly, that the best test of all as to whether we have received the Spirit is to ask ourselves, what do we think of, and what do we know about, the Son. Is the Son real to us? That is the work of the Spirit. He is glorified indirectly; He is always pointing us to the Son."
Now, there are two more points in this message, that to some degree have already been address, but they are so vital, that we should put the magnifying glass on them for just a moment… In fact, these last two points deserve a lot more time than we will give to them today… and, Lord willing, we are going to develop these more over the next two weeks – but for now, let's at least introduce them…
Consider with me for a moment –
3. The Participation of the Saints
In Jesus' final words before leaving this earth, He emphasized that there is a … personal involvement being called for on the part of those who follow Him!... Look again to just one verse with me, and if you write in your Bible, circle the one word that appears three times in this verse –
Acts 1:8
but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
Every Christian fits in that verse! We who are redeemed by the Lord, are witness for the Lord. In whatever space you occupy, in whatever role you fill, in every relationship you have – you are a witness! And the Holy Spirit of truth will enable you to point people to the truth of Christ as you faithfully walk with Him yourself!...
For time's sake, let's move on and briefly lean into one more point that comes in Jesus' final words, and that is –
4. The Promise of the Sovereign
If you prefer, this is the promise of the Savior … This promise comes from both the Father and the Son…
Acts 1:9-11
9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."
This scene has captured the imagination of many through the years… We can only imagine the impact of Jesus' literal, physical, bodily … ascension – up, up, up … until the disciples couldn't see Him!... These men who have followed Jesus these past few years, and have witnessed the reality of His death, burial, and resurrection… These past 40 days have been life-transforming!... Now, … He's gone!... He's gone, but not forever!
As one commentator observed (Guzik)– Jesus –
- left physically and He will come in "like manner"
- He left visibly and He will come in "like manner"
- He left from the Mount of Olives and He will come in "like manner"
- He left in the presence of His disciples and He will come in "like manner"
- He left blessing His church and He will come in "like manner"
Laying claim to be the fulfillment of OT prophecy, Jesus said we will one day –
Luke 21:27
Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Jesus is coming again!... Are you ready?
Questions to Consider in Community Group:
- Just why should Christians "prioritize" the Scriptures in their lives? What are the benefits when we do, and what are some consequences if we don't?
- What is the role of the Holy Spirit in today's world?
- Just how can every Christian be a part of getting the gospel to everyone?
- What do you suppose is the purpose for "waiting"? As we wait for the return of the Lord, what should be our focus?
- What other themes do you see in our text that was not shared in the message?
- What are your thoughts about any of the quotes shared in the message?
John MacArthur - "The Reformation was the inevitable and explosive consequence of the Word of God crashing like a massive tidal wave against the thin barricades of man-made tradition and hypocritical religion. As the common people of Europe gained access to the Scriptures in their own language, the Spirit of God used that timeless truth to convict their hearts and convert their souls. The result was utterly transformative, not only for the lives of individual sinners, but for the entire continent on which they resided."
John MacArthur - "The more that God's Word is removed from our lives, the more inhibited our spiritual progress becomes. Nothing else can do the work that the truth does. There is no sanctifying power in human wisdom, intuition, insight, or experience. It is only in the Word of God. Only the truth revealed in Scripture sanctifies – sound teaching accurately interpreted, understood, and applied. As divine revelation is embraced, spiritual progress is made. There are no alternative routes to godly character and holy living."
Martyn Lloyd-Jones – "The Spirit does not glorify Himself; He glorifies the Son… This is, to me, one of the most amazing and remarkable things about the biblical doctrine of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit seems to hide Himself and to conceal Himself. He is always, as it were, putting the focus on the Son, and that is why I believe, and I believe profoundly, that the best test of all as to whether we have received the Spirit is to ask ourselves, what do we think of, and what do we know about, the Son. Is the Son real to us? That is the work of the Spirit. He is glorified indirectly; He is always pointing us to the Son."
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