And this is Our Mission to the Nations

[0:00] Please take your Bibles. And for the last time, wow, 65 weeks, actually 66, but this is a repeat so it doesn't count.

[0:16] 65 weeks in Matthew's Gospel, go to Matthew chapter 28, verse 16. If you need a Bible, that chair in front of you should be a black Bible.

[0:26] Go to the back, find page 26. Page 26 to find, excuse me, Matthew chapter 28.

[0:38] We'll do what's known as the Great Commission. Matthew chapter 28, verse 16 to 20. And just as a reminder, the next two Sundays, next Sunday and the Sunday after that, we're going to preach to the book of Obadiah.

[0:51] Start studying for that Thursday, Wednesday and Thursday. And then did some yesterday as well, so that'll be interesting. It's an interesting book. Here's a challenge for you.

[1:02] Read Obadiah once a week for the next seven days. You can do it in like three minutes, seriously. Three minutes, Obadiah. And I read slow.

[1:13] Well, at least I think I read slow. But it'll probably take like three minutes to read it. So read it every day. I'll just challenge you. It's just an interesting book. So I've never preached to Obadiah, so it'll be fun.

[1:25] Matthew chapter 28 will finish off this great gospel that we've looked at over the past, over a year, 65 weeks. Let me read chapter 28, starting in verse 16.

[1:37] But the 11 disciples came to Galilee to the mountain which Jesus had appointed. And seeing him, they worshipped.

[1:48] But some hesitated. And coming up, Jesus spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Therefore, as you go, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I command you.

[2:11] And behold, I'm with you all the days until the end of the age. In one particularly popular animated movie, there's dogs, which they had a technologically advanced collar that allowed them to speak and to be heard in English.

[2:39] And so these dogs, you would notice in the movie, they're shown to be easily distracted by squirrels. And when seeing the dogs are talking, and all of a sudden, squirrel! And then they all looked over there.

[2:52] I would do that, too, with Chris's parents, their dog, Licorice. I would say, Licorice! You see a squirrel? She'd go.

[3:04] And she'd look outside. Is there a squirrel? She'd go. That's it, Licorice. And they're like, stop doing that. Stop telling them that. I'd get in trouble. It's so funny, you know. It's so fun. And sometimes we wonder if people do the same thing.

[3:20] If they're all of a sudden talking, they kind of check out. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. My wife says I do that. That's such a lie.

[3:35] I check out. Chris is like, Jim, are you there? Yes, dear, I'm right here. What were you saying? No. They're talking. And they can get easily distracted or sidetracked.

[3:48] And we laugh. And yet I believe this is exactly what has happened in the church. I believe this is what's happened in the church.

[4:02] Historically, the church is known to get easily distracted and sidetracked from their mission mandate.

[4:13] They get sidetracked. They get sidetracked to doing other things. Whether you want to say social justice, racial equality, you name it.

[4:28] Squirrel. Squirrel. Squirrel. They get sidetracked. They get distracted. They get distracted. From the mission mandate that was given to them by Jesus.

[4:44] The mission mandate we see before us. And I've been driving this home for you over the past 65 weeks.

[4:55] What's Matthew's point in writing his gospel? That the readers, whether you are a Christian or not a Christian, you would bow down and worship Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, the King of Israel, the Judge of the World, the resurrected Lord.

[5:07] We added that last week. And this is our mission to the nations. This is our mission message. This is our mission mandate to the nations.

[5:20] What? To bow down and worship Jesus. That's our mission. That's what we've been mandated as a church.

[5:34] This is our mission to the nations. To tell them to bow down and worship Jesus. And even our mission to each other.

[5:46] Keep bowing down and worshiping Jesus. Don't lose sight of the gospel truth. Don't lose sight of what's most important. It's the gospel. Jesus has been given all authority.

[6:01] And he will always be with his followers all the days until the end. And his followers obey. As his followers obey his mission mandate. And this kind of worldwide focus is unique in the gospels.

[6:20] And I know Luke has this a little bit. In Luke chapter 24. But even in that, Jesus says, stay here in Jerusalem. It will be in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and all the ends of the earth. Where here, and Matthew's not saying that you shouldn't go to the Jews.

[6:34] He wasn't saying that. But this would be, wait, what? Nations? This is a Jewish flavored gospel.

[6:47] For Jewish believers. And non-believers. And yet the mission mandate was to the nations. Unique? Definitely. Amongst the four gospels. Here is the culmination though.

[7:00] The final mission. Where Jesus commissioned his disciples. But not just the eleven. Because of his promise. Perpetual presence.

[7:10] You like all those Ps. This call is to all of his Christ's disciples. All those who say they're followers of Jesus. To all who proclaim to know and love the Lord Jesus.

[7:21] It's our mission too. So his, one writer put it like this. Quote, universal power and perpetual presence.

[7:32] Is what gave his disciples the ability to accomplish his mission mandate. As they recognized Jesus' authority.

[7:43] And trust his presence. Christ's disciples will be able to disciple all the nations. Well that's daunting. That looks hard. It is.

[7:56] Which is why Jesus promised his presence. Daunting yet possible. Daunting yet possible. Joe?

[8:09] Why are we able to accomplish this task? It's because of Jesus' powerful power and perpetual presence. If he has all authority.

[8:23] He will give us the power to accomplish it. If he is always with us. We won't ever be alone as we take on his mission mandate. And you'll see that unfold from the text.

[8:39] Notice how it begins. In verse 16 and 17. Jesus' place prepares for the mission. Lots of P words. Lots of P. I don't know. There's this.

[8:50] No there's lots. Actually there's lots of words that start with the letter P. Did you know that? P and I think there's R. But P. Anyways. Jesus' place prepares for the mission. And notice there's first.

[9:03] It's going to be peoples. Look at verse 16. But the 11 disciples. In opposition to religious leaders. Plot from verse 11 to 15. They came to Galilee.

[9:15] To the mountain which Jesus had appointed. Jesus' disciples made their way to Galilee as commanded. Remember verses 1 through 10. Angel.

[9:26] He says hey. Jesus said to make your way to Galilee. Remember chapter 26. Jesus said hey. When I'm resurrected. You're going to go to Galilee. That's where you're going to see me. Why Galilee? Why Galilee?

[9:42] Galilee is where peoples come in. Galilee is vital. Since it was more associated with Gentiles. Thus giving added weight to the mission mandate. Jesus would give them.

[9:54] Galilee because lots of Gentiles were there. In northern Israel. You see lots of Gentiles. Romans. Greeks. Others. Because he wanted them to start thinking.

[10:07] On a worldwide scale. So come to Galilee. So Jesus' place prepares for the mission. Not just the peoples. But also the purpose.

[10:19] Verse 17. And seeing him they worshipped. Remember the ladies. Those faithful loyal women. Earlier in chapter 28.

[10:31] They worshipped him. So some had the same response that women had in verse 9. When they saw the resurrected Jesus. So these disciples.

[10:42] They bowed down. Prostrated themselves on the ground. Worshipping him. Giving him homage. But then it says. But some were doubtful.

[10:56] And the word can actually be translated uncertain. Or even as I said. As I was reading. Hesitated. Like that. Some were less confident than others.

[11:11] Well why? Matthew doesn't tell us. We don't know. Now some think. That maybe more than just the 11 were present.

[11:23] Here. Which is possible. The context. The verse just above that. But the 11 disciples. The context seems to say otherwise.

[11:34] Just the 11. It surprises us. Even if it was. More than the 11. It surprises us. That they'd respond this way.

[11:47] Especially if it was the 11. That they would respond this way. Given the way. The resurrection. How the women responded. And yet.

[11:58] Then again. If you. Go back. Through Matthew's gospel. And you see how the disciples. Normally responded. Then you kind of go. Oh. Okay. Maybe we shouldn't be so surprised.

[12:10] That some hesitated. But this tells us. Really. The purpose. In the mission mandate. Some hesitated with this purpose.

[12:22] But others. Figured it out. Worship. You know this well. If you've read the book. Let the nations be glad.

[12:33] From John Piper. Missions. Is not the ultimate goal. Of the church. Worship is. Missions exist. Because worship. Among the unsaved.

[12:44] Does not exist. Our aim. Is to get humans. Back to why they were made. They were made. To worship God. Our mission is to go out.

[12:55] And Jesus is going to tell us. How to do this. The process by which. This happens. But we want them. To worship God. We want them to. How's it go? Bow down and worship Jesus.

[13:08] That's. The purpose. That's. Our aim. So this is how Jesus plays. You mean with the.

[13:20] The eleven disciples. That's how it prepares. For the mission. Now notice as well. How Jesus. Power. Is going to fuel. This mission. In verse 18 and 19.

[13:34] Notice Jesus. Coming up. He spoke to them saying. All authority. Has been given to me. In heaven and on earth. This is an important verse. Interesting. The repetition of this word.

[13:46] All. All authority. All the nations. All that Jesus commanded. All the days. Panta. Panta. Panta. Panta. In the Greek. This verse.

[13:59] This verse is important. All authority. In heaven and on earth. Upon the earth. Has been given to me. And notice. Given. Which means. It was given to him. By the father. Because he has.

[14:12] All. Authority. We are guaranteed. All these promises. In this premise. He's going to give. The father has given.

[14:24] Universal. Authority. Or power. To his son. Because of his finished work. On the cross. The father shows. He's pleased. By giving the resurrected one. Full authority.

[14:34] Or power. He's vindicated his son. He vindicated his son. How? By resurrecting him. From the dead. He's alive. It reminds us.

[14:49] Of Daniel chapter 7. Verse 13 and 14. It reminds us. How Jesus demonstrated. His authority. Even in the gospels. Before his. Crucifixion. Resurrection. By his teaching.

[15:01] By his words. By his actions. His miracles. But now. Now he's conquered death. He's conquered sin.

[15:12] He's conquered hell. He's the glorious. Son of God. He's the gloried. Exalted. Son of God. He has supreme authority.

[15:24] Of the whole universe. Having died. And he was raised. By the father. Vindicated by the father. He. He. He. Is the supreme. One.

[15:35] Having conquered. Death. Sin and hell. On behalf of his people. Saving them. Save his people. From their sins. He's the exalted son of God.

[15:48] Giving him. The right to judge all. And the right to give us. This mission. This mission mandate. So what does this mean for us.

[16:01] As his followers. See Matthew doesn't go into. Anything about his authority. Or explaining more about that. He doesn't do that. He tells us.

[16:15] Based upon the very words of Jesus. Why this is important. Why it's connected to this mission mandate. Because of who Jesus is. The son of God.

[16:26] The exalted son of God. And because he has full supreme. Universal authority. Notice. Verse 19. Therefore. I have all authority.

[16:40] Therefore. I have all the power. Therefore. Based upon. That full authority.

[16:51] Given to him by the father. Having completed his work for sinners. We're called to mission. And this mission. Is possible.

[17:02] Only. Because Jesus is one writer. Put it like this. Quote unquote. Potent. He's powerful. Jesus.

[17:12] Jesus. Power. Is the very thing. That fuels. This mission mandate. It gives you the fuel. It puts the gas in the car.

[17:23] Man. It gets you going. It's his power. It's his authority. One writer put it like this.

[17:35] Quote. Universal lordship means universal mission. End quote. With ultimate power. And then. His essential presence too. We have him on our side.

[17:48] With this. It's fueling it. And you never run out of gas. It continues on. Because Jesus is all the authority.

[17:59] Jesus is all the power. It's fueling this mission. Okay. Okay. So that place is preparing it. We see that for the mission. Now. Jesus power. It fuels the mission.

[18:10] And then. Jesus process for the mission. This is the process. Or in other words. I put it up here. What does it look like to worship? What will it look like.

[18:20] If this. In this mission mandate. For people to worship. Jesus. Bowing down and worship. What will it. How it flesh itself out. What will it. What will it. What will it. What will it. What will it. What will it. What will it. What will it.

[18:31] What will it. Therefore. Verse 19. As you go. Make. Disciples.

[18:44] Making disciples. We make disciples. Our main responsibility. Is to reproduce ourselves. And these other tasks.

[18:57] The going. The baptizing. And the teaching. It describes to us. How we make these disciples. And they function like commands. So it's not like.

[19:08] You don't go. Jesus saying go. You're making disciples. But as you go. You make disciples. You're going to baptize them. You're going to teach them. Those are commands too. They function like that. So here's the idea.

[19:22] We. Spread. God's. Rule. In Jesus. Who has full authority. By making disciples. Of all nations. Okay. Well.

[19:32] What is a disciple? One who follows a master. One must first understand. And then obey the master.

[19:47] What is a disciple? It's a learner. And a follower. Thus. It begs. Whole hearted devotion. And commitment to Christ. There ain't no nominalism here.

[20:03] It's not a halfway. Type thing. This is the kind of disciple. He commands us to make. Whole hearted devotion to Jesus.

[20:15] Make disciples. We're commanding to make disciples. Of all the nations. It requires us to go. This is why it functions like a command. It requires us.

[20:26] To go. To baptize. To teach. We'll look at that in a moment. To teach them to obey. To obey. This is what. Make disciples.

[20:39] Entails. We go. We baptize. We teach them to obey Christ. That's what it entails. All the nations. All people groups.

[20:52] All ethnicities. We unite under the banner of the Lord Jesus. True oneness is only found in Christ alone. Our world.

[21:04] It's very clear. Just turn on the news. And social media. They're. They're. They're. Groping after. Unity. It's not going to be achieved.

[21:17] Some. It'll be superficial. No. It needs to come to a place where. The white person says. I'm a big sinner. The black person says.

[21:29] No. I'm a bigger sinner than you. The Asian says. No. I'm a bigger sinner than you. The Hispanic says. No. I'm a bigger sinner than you. No. We all say. No. We're all sinners. And there's only one who's worthy.

[21:41] It's Jesus. Only you are worthy. Jesus. And we're all in the same place. And we unite under you. That's what the world needs. Make disciples of all nations.

[21:58] As you're going. He's assuming you're going. That's a. Functioning like a command. And notice he says here. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

[22:09] Baptizing. Baptizing. The first step in making someone a disciple of Jesus. Is baptizing them in the Trinity. That's the first step.

[22:23] One God. Three persons. Devotion and allegiance to the one true God. Found in Jesus Christ. This devotion to God is displayed.

[22:34] Within the new humanity. The church. The local body. And this baptism that we do. It depicts something.

[22:45] It depicts that the person has died. The old Daniel has died. The old Travis has died. I've died with Christ. I've been buried.

[22:58] A death to self. And then alive. To the one or ones into whom we are baptized. I'm alive to God.

[23:09] I'm a different Daniel. A different Travis. So. To be baptized. In the name of the Father. Son and Spirit. Denotes their oneness. True. But also a person's allegiance to them.

[23:24] It's not just baptism. Then they go do something else. Discipleship begins by saying. I follow God. And I'm going to show you how I follow God.

[23:37] How many are baptized? That's why there's baptism. The old person dies. New person comes.

[23:48] Water is bad. It's not good. Don't think of water as good. It's not a cleansing. It's actually judgment. Water is judgment.

[23:59] Water is death. Water is bad. Water is ill. And so are you. But water depicts judgment. You're being judged. You're dying.

[24:11] And then we come back. You're a new person. You're new in Christ. You're baptized. You're baptized. You're baptized. You're baptized. You're baptized in the name of the Father. And the Son. And the Holy Spirit. And the triune God. So to say.

[24:22] I follow this God. It's done by being baptized. This is how one makes profession. Of being a disciple of Jesus. It's not going forward. It's not an altar call.

[24:40] It's not a Billy Graham concert. Where you have people coming forward. That's not how you make professional faith. And I'm not saying the persons are in sin. When they do that. That's not sinful. But it's not in the Bible.

[24:53] It's nowhere in the Bible. You will not find. Coming forward to the altar. An altar call in the Bible. It's not in the Bible. It's nowhere. It's not by going to an altar call.

[25:04] It's not coming forward. It's not by signing the card. It's not by doing anything else. But going to the waters of baptism. How do you make professional faith in Christ? The Bible is so simple.

[25:14] It tells you. Get baptized. Our Southern Baptist. Brothers and sisters. For me even.

[25:28] They think I'm in sin. Because I don't do an altar call. I will not ever do an altar call. Over my dead body. Will I do an altar call in this church. Because it's not in the Bible. But I will tell you.

[25:39] If you're going to trust Christ. Get baptized. That's how you say you're going to follow Jesus. And you're doing it in front of everybody.

[25:50] You're saying to these people. I'm following Jesus. So I want all of you. To hold me accountable. I want all of you to hold me accountable. I'm being baptized in front of you.

[26:00] I'm saying I'm a different person. Travis. I'm a different Travis. So now you hold me accountable. I'm a different Daniel. You hold me accountable. Which leads to the next part.

[26:14] The next step. In verse 20. Teaching them to observe. Literally obey. Or keep. All that I command you.

[26:26] They are taught all of Jesus' commands. And. To obey his commands. Knowledge of Jesus' commands. Is a means to an end. What's the end? Obedience.

[26:39] Right. Ethical. Gospel kingdom living. That sounds familiar. Remember Matthew chapter 5. 6. 7.

[26:50] That was gospel kingdom living. You teach them everything that. Jesus has commanded. You teach them to obey. And.

[27:04] Given its. Centrality and significance. The local church. Plays the central role in this. One writer puts it like this.

[27:15] The local church is. The local church is. Quote. God's primary agent. End quote. To accomplish Jesus' mandate. The local church plays a central role.

[27:31] Friends. It is only. In the faith. Community. Or. Faith. Family. Which is the church. That disciples are baptized. And taught to obey Jesus. Thus. This. This. This. This. This.

[27:43] This. This. This. This. Begs. Becoming. A member. Of a local church. This. Begs. Membership. Baptism. Connects a person.

[27:53] To that specific congregation. Since they are the ones. That affirm. A profession. To follow Christ. That's an affirmation. That comes from the body. Some people who know me. That's why baptism.

[28:04] Is so connected. With membership. Because you are saying. I am going to become a member. Of this church. I want these people. To hold me accountable. And. Other places. In scripture. I want those pastors.

[28:14] I know. To shepherd me. In fact. The church. Is the primary context.

[28:25] A Christian. Lives out. Discipleship to Jesus. The church. The local church. Is the primary context. A Christian. Lives out.

[28:36] Discipleship to Jesus. It is. One writer. Put it like this. Quote. The Christian life. Orbits around the church.

[28:51] See. We obey. These commands. Of Jesus. Within the context. Of a local church. The church family. Is the primary way. It is displayed. The Christian life.

[29:04] Is not lived in a vacuum. Or just. Going up to the mountain. And reading your Bible. And praying. I'm not.

[29:14] I'm not saying that's bad. I've said that before. And somebody like. Left here. They said. I was thinking. That's not bad. If you. You go up to the mountain. And pray. And read your Bible. I think that's great. Praise the Lord for that. But if you say. I'm going to do that.

[29:24] Instead of church. Or you say. That's my church. That's ridiculous. That's in the Bible. What Matthew's gospel. Is directing us towards.

[29:35] Is the need for a local body. Becoming a member of that body. It's in Matthew's gospel. Where he brings up this term. Called church. Assembly. Gathering. In chapter 16.

[29:46] And also chapter 18. This begs church membership. And. Something else it begs.

[30:00] It's not just about. Giving someone the gospel. What do I mean by that? The mindset. We're commanded. To have.

[30:10] Is a. Church mindset. Evangelism. Is not done in a vacuum. But with the backdrop. Of church planting. And church affirming. It's amongst us.

[30:22] As a body. Because how do you know. How Christianity. Functions. This. Through body life.

[30:34] That's why Jesus said. If you love one another. That's how all men will know. You're my disciples. If you love one another. And he's saying it to his disciples. And also keep this in mind.

[30:49] Evangelism goes farther. Than simply giving someone the gospel. We may need to teach people the gospel. Disciple them to Jesus. You give them the gospel. It'll take you like 10, 30 seconds or so.

[31:01] To give them the gospel. But you might need to do that. 5,000 times. Disciple them to Christ. The gospel is simple. God is just.

[31:12] We're sinners. Jesus died. And rose from the dead. Repent and believe. And that's for you. If you're here. And you don't know Christ. You should repent and believe. And trust Jesus. You should come to him. And then show your.

[31:24] Christian might get baptized. But we. Need to explain so much about the gospel to people.

[31:35] Which takes. Patience. Taking time with them. And teaching them. What it means. This whole gospel truth.

[31:46] Which also begs something else. I'm giving you lots of implications to this. This begs the need to build relationships.

[31:59] We should be in the business of connecting with each other within the body. Your body functions in that way. Your body works together in that way.

[32:12] Your body does not separate it from each other. Your. The fingers are over there. And your arms are over here. And your legs are over there. That'd be ridiculous. You don't do that. I'll throw in my microphone.

[32:24] We don't do that as within our own body. Right? Of course not. Jesus spent time with his disciples. He lived with them.

[32:36] Building a relationship with them. That's why I mentioned this earlier. It's life on life. It's a lifestyle. It's not just a Sunday thing. Or should I say.

[32:49] I'm not cutting down what I'm doing. So don't. Get what I'm saying. I'm not cutting down what I'm doing. It's not just doing like a. A Sunday lecture. I know I'm not just doing a lecture.

[33:01] I'm preaching. I know. But it's just not this. Church life goes farther than just this. What I'm doing.

[33:12] It's important. There should be preaching of the word of God. Absolutely. Yes. Yes. Yes. There's so much more. So.

[33:27] New disciples. Are baptized. And then taught to obey all that Christ commanded. Done with the local church playing a central role in this. Playing the central role.

[33:39] So this is Jesus process for the mission. But then notice what he says. Here in verse 20.

[33:50] The end of verse 20. And look. Behold. I'm with you all the days until the end of the age. Jesus very presence.

[34:04] Aids the mission. Helps us in the mission. To top it all off. Jesus promises his presence.

[34:16] With his followers. As they make disciples. Jesus power. And the promise of his continual presence. Are sufficient to accomplish this mission mandate. And he does this.

[34:27] He's with us. By means. Of his spirit. And Matthew doesn't go into those details. He doesn't do that. Basically he reserves that for later on.

[34:37] For Paul and Peter. To flesh those things out for us. He doesn't go into all the details of that. But he does tell us. This is what Jesus said.

[34:48] I'm going to be with you. How is Jesus with us? By his spirit. He indwells every single Christian. Every single follower of Jesus. Jesus presence.

[35:01] By means. Of his spirit. Will never be withdrawn from his people. Never. We have that assurance. So with this assurance. We will be able to accomplish this mission mandate.

[35:13] You know. Isn't it wonderful. That Matthew started. His gospel. Matthew chapter 1 verse 23.

[35:28] He'll be called Emmanuel. God with us. And then he ends with this promise. I'll always be with you. It's wonderful.

[35:39] Jesus does this. And notice. Until the end of the age. That is the final eschatological judgment. And the renewal of all things. Even up to that point.

[35:50] I'm going to be with you. And if Jesus promised. To be with his 11 disciples. Even to the end of the age. And yet. It's not just the 11. That means. He's not just for the 11.

[36:00] It's for us. It's a promise. For all the disciples of Jesus. Jesus. His presence aids you. In the mission that you have. He's with us to accomplish this.

[36:14] Worship. Bow down to Jesus. How? This is how. It's what it looks like. It's our goal. It's to worship. How? Making disciples.

[36:26] We're baptized. We'll obey Jesus' teaching. And from these. Comes the new humanity. The new human race. There's two races.

[36:36] There's Adam's race. And there's the new race. The new humanity. Those who are in Christ. And we're united. All different ethnicities.

[36:48] All different colors and shades. All united under Christ. So that. We. As the local church.

[36:58] We're a. Meany version. Of what the kingdom will look like. In the future. We want to know what the kingdom is going to look like. In the future. People should look at us.

[37:12] Oh yes. Oh you go. Wait what? Hmm. Hmm. With all our Mars. With all. The sin that's there. And yet realize it's all grace.

[37:24] We've all been shown grace. But just a meany version. Of what the kingdom is going to look like. A spotty life. Working together.

[37:36] And we're making disciples. We're going. We're baptized. Teaching. That's what it looks like. From us. God is creating this new humanity.

[37:47] Who worship him. See if Christ has all this authority. He will give us the power to accomplish this. If he's always with us. We won't ever be alone in this mission mandate.

[37:58] Never. As we. His disciples. Recognize Jesus' authority. And trust his presence.

[38:09] We will be able to disciple all the nations. It's daunting. It's for us. Jesus has been given all authority.

[38:22] And he will always be with his followers. All the days until the end. As his followers. As we his followers. Obey his mission mandate. What's our mission mandate? We tell people worship.

[38:34] Bow down and worship Jesus. This is the mission mandate. This is what we're calling people to do. Let's bow. Now our heads in prayer. And pray to.

[38:46] The triune God. We. Are thanking you spirit. That you spoke. We're thanking you father. For directing us to Jesus. We thank you Lord Jesus.

[38:57] That you have all authority and power. In heaven and on earth. You've conquered death, sin and hell. You're vindicated by the father.

[39:12] We're redeemed. Father your wrath has been satisfied. For your friends. We're now worshipers of you.

[39:29] So let us. Go out. And make disciples. We pray that we'll pray. For planting of a church in Jerome.

[39:44] A place that has no. True church. A 500 people where there is no. True church. Just.

[39:56] 15-20 minutes away. There's no church there. With these people. No church there. Amongst 500 people. We pray for those.

[40:09] We've been thinking about. That have actually visited here. We pray for them. You work in their hearts. And they would. Become worshipers of Jesus.

[40:24] We love them. We love you. And here in. This town Cottonwood. And beyond. Let us be. Deliberate.

[40:38] And intentional. With the mission mandate. You've given to us. As a local church. As a local body. May we function as one.

[40:52] And Lord God. We pray you would bring. As part of this body. Different ethnicities. White and black. Asian. Hispanic.

[41:02] All different. Skin colors. So we can be. An even greater display. Of your kingdom. I'll encourage you.

[41:19] At this time. As we do each week. For you to. Let your mind. Ponder. Ponder. Think. Let it be stirred.

[41:33] Stirred up by truth. These few moments. Let that happen. And a few moments of silence. For you to be able to do that. And we'll sing.

[41:46] A couple more songs. You know how we do that. A couple more songs. And we'll pray. But you and Christ. You and the triune God.

[41:58] Take this time. Please. And let his truth. Infiltrate your heart. And your mind. Do that now please.

[42:19] Do that now. Do that now.

[42:33] Do you know how tall that has been? What do you do to? If your mind. You have a little bit. You know how tall that has been? You are the listener. I am beginning. I am definitely catching up to you.

[42:43] I am future. I am island.