Title: The Lord with You (April 12, 2009)
Contents
Word: Matthew 28:16-20
16 The eleven disciples went to Galilee and came to the mountain where Jesus was commanding.
17 When they saw Jesus, they worshiped him, but some doubted.
18 Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations
Baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
20 Teach them to obey all that I have commanded you.
Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.
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Matthew 28 is the account of the resurrection of Jesus.
Among them, the text says that the eleven disciples went to Galilee.
Then why did the disciples go to Galilee? That's for two reasons.
First, because Jesus promised to meet in Galilee.
In Matthew 26:32, the Lord said, "After I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee."
Matthew 28:7 The angel said, 'I am going before you into Galilee, and there you will see me.'
Second, because Jesus was there.
The absolute reason the disciples went to Galilee was that the resurrected Jesus was there.
In the same way, I hope you believe that the place we need to go must be where the Lord is.
You come to church because you can worship the Lord only when you come to church under various circumstances.
Just as the reason the disciples went to Galilee was because Jesus was there, so the reason we have to go to Galilee is that we can only meet the Lord there.
So where is Galilee?
Where the gospel of the resurrection is proclaimed, where the cross and the message of salvation are proclaimed, where the risen Lord is praised and
Where we worship, this is our Galilee.
Do not forget Galilee anytime, any time, anywhere. I hope to meet the risen Jesus in Galilee.
In verse 17, the disciples of Jesus also saw Jesus and worshiped him.
But the problem is the words in the second half of verse 17, where it says, 'There were some who doubted.
The eleven disciples there saw the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes. who are they
During the time of Jesus' communion, he followed Jesus and saw and experienced many miracles
These are the people who lived and lived together with the Lord. Yet some of them were still skeptical.
The Bible records it.
It seems that we have the same image of a disciple who doubts while meditating on these words.
I have experienced countless graces, blessings, and love, but I am still not convinced.
I went to church for decades and called on the name of the Lord, but I am still wandering in the mist of doubt.
I was constantly shaken even though I said that I received a mission, a senior position, a responsibility, and received grace,
I was moved by the Holy Spirit to say that I was the person whom I doubted on the Sea of Galilee.
Dear brothers and sisters, I hope you can change your doubting into believing.
I pray in the name of the Lord that you become a believer rather than a doubter.
Now, looking at verses 19-20, which is the second half of the text, the Lord commanded His disciples.
Make disciples, baptize, teach, and observe.
Preach this word, nurture them, get them baptized, and nurture them to live according to the word,
is to teach. This is what the church is supposed to do. The reason the church exists on this earth is to save dying souls. So, if the church does not evangelize, the value of the church will be lost.
However, even after receiving the command, the disciples were unable to evangelize at first. Then later, I started evangelism for two reasons. One began to evangelize after being filled with the Holy Spirit. Through the experience of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, I gained courage and obeyed the saying, 'You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.' Evangelism, everyone, is not something I do with my own strength. Please believe that you will receive the power of the Holy Spirit and do it with that power.
Second, there was persecution in Jerusalem. Because of that, people who believed in Jesus were forced to disperse in all directions. Acts 8:4 says that those who were scattered went about preaching the word of the gospel. God gives us the opportunity to evangelize. Dear members, I hope that you will evangelize in the field of our lives. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will be able to evangelize in all circumstances.
At the end of the text, Jesus promised to be with us. It's not just about being together. You promised to always be with me until the end of the world. There is nothing in the world that can be with me forever. But believe that Jesus is with us until the end of this world and forever, because Jesus is the eternal One who has been resurrected. No one in this world can always be with me forever, but our Lord is with us forever because he has overcome the power of death and rose again and becomes eternal life. Dear brothers and sisters, I hope that you do not worry about that, and do not worry about it. The Lord is always with us until the end of the world.
I bless you in the name of the Lord that you will have this precious faith and truth on this holy day of resurrection.