1 Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
This Psalm 96 was most likely written by David for his coronation day. David was the teenager who came to the army that faced Goliath and chewed out the men because they weren’t trusting in the strength and power of God. David was the teenager who then killed the giant Goliath with his sling and his faith in God. David was the man who tried his best to listen to God’s Holy Spirit and follow the commands of that Spirit – especially in the beautiful songs he wrote, like this one. David was the great poet king who took over from Saul and truly established the kingdom of Israel and ruled for forty years.
Notice the commands involved in this Psalm.
First, we are commanded three times to sing to the Lord. We are told to sing a new song, to sing to all the earth, and to sing praises to the Lord, proclaiming His salvation day after day. Do we do this, particularly praising the Lord day after day?
Then, we are commanded to declare God’s glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. When was the last time you told someone not associated with this church about God’s glory?
These are some of the first biblical commands to evangelize, to share the good news of God’s love and power to all the world.
You see, God is not a local god, the god of a single nation or small collection of nations. God tells us that He desires to be worshipped by all people, around the world. He offers his love and protection to all people.
Unfortunately, many people in the world are ignorant of this. Many people think that God does not really exist. Many people do not believe that God loves them. Many people think that God is only the god of those families who go to church. They believe that “some people go to church and some people don’t go to church” and this doesn’t change. Ever. They also believe that people don’t change. Ever.
The people of Israel were not very good at spreading the word about God’s love. In the thousand years between King David and Jesus, some people who were not Jewish came to worship God – but not many. Perhaps this was because the Jewish people intentionally tried to avoid non-Jews – and in their defense, this was also a command that God had given through Moses. Perhaps it was because wherever Jews went, they were considered to be dangerous and undesirable, probably because they remained aloof from the world around them, preferring to follow the command to avoid non-Jews rather than the command to “glory God to the nations”.
When Jesus came, a good part of his ministry was to people whom the “good” Jews considered to be “bad” people. At this time, there was a major grouping of Jews known as Pharisees. The Pharisees emphasized the study and strict following of the Law of God that Moses had brought down from God. This included restrictions on what they could eat – no pork or shellfish. There were restrictions on dress – a good Pharisee must dress in a blue-and-white garment with tassels. There were serious restrictions on what they could touch – no dead bodies or dead animals, which kept them from working leather. And there were restrictions on who they could eat with – they could not eat with non-Jews, which meant very few foreigners were invited to dinner, and they could not eat with people of questionable moral character, like those who collected taxes for the hated Romans, or with prostitutes, or with people who, because of choice or lack of money, broke any of the other restrictions about food, the dress code, or profession. (Those blue-and-white garments with tassels were very expensive, and the approved foods were naturally more expensive than the “bad” foods. In short, the Pharisees considered themselves to be a tight-knit “good peoples club.” And so, because Jesus associated with the people the Pharisees rejected - and they were fearful that any possible trouble would bring the Romans down on them, the Pharisees decided that Jesus was evil and dangerous and they decided to kill him.
The other major group of Jews in Jerusalem at the time were the Sadducees. The Sadducees included the high priest and operated the great Temple of God in Jerusalem. They were strict about the worship and the sacrifices that were held in the Temple. And there was a bit of a scam that they ran.
Sacrificial animals were brought to the Temple once or twice a year by the average person. The animals must be perfect, “without blemish”, and here was the opportunity for profit. A priest inspected the animal and if any small mark were found, the animal was rejected. The owner, though, was referred to men - perhaps relatives - who sold supposedly “perfect” animals on the Temple grounds. The price, naturally, was high because the only other option was to return home without making the sacrifice. This was why Jesus turned over the tables in the Temple - the Sadducees were making it difficult and expensive for ordinary people to do their duty toward God.
The Sadducees were also famous for only accepting the first five books of the Old Testament as the Word of God. And this was where they also ran into disputes with Jesus, who quoted from almost the entire Old Testament. Besides, Jesus argued that if “this Temple” were destroyed, He could rebuild it in three days. Of course, He was talking about His body – not the building, but it irritated the Sadducees that He also implied worship could happen outside the Temple grounds, which made him a danger to their monopoly. So they also decided to remove Jesus – and sent the Temple soldiers to arrest Him.
After Jesus was arrested and crucified and then came back to life, Jesus appeared to the disciples multiple times over the course of the next 40 days. It was during these last days that Jesus gave us a couple of strong commands about telling people about Him.
At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, the disciples journeyed back to the area of their homes near the Galilean lake. We usually translate disciple into modern English as “student”, but it was much more. A disciple is both a student, but is also a follower, an apprentice, a person who accepts the leadership of the teacher, like we might accept the leadership and teaching of an excellent coach, or a political leader who seems to have all the answers. Disciples accepted Jesus as their teacher, their coach, and their Lord, doing whatever Jesus asked of them. They wanted to be like Jesus.
They went to a particular mountain that Jesus had told them to go to. And Jesus was there.
They worshiped him – some still doubted, but they had seen him killed and most had seen him alive again previously. They were still confused and learning more each day about Jesus. They understood that there was something very special about Jesus, something supernatural. Over time, they became convinced that He was God walking upon the earth.
Jesus came to them that day 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.”
Notice the details of this passage. First, Jesus declares that He has been given “all authority in heaven and on earth.” Do you believe this?
If so, then the rest of the passage is for you and me.
He told the disciples – and us – “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,”
A more literal translation might be to make disciples of all groups of people. This expressly reminds us of Psalm 96 – but it is clearer. We are to “GO” and make those disciples of all groups of people.
The next phrase is “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”
Baptism is commanded. We are to baptize people, not only getting them wet, but baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In many churches, including this one, the pastor leads the baptism ceremony. But each one of us has the duty to bring people to the point of wanting the baptism ceremony.
The third phrase is “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
We have to teach people what Jesus commands of us – and to obey those commands. That’s what sermons and Sunday schools and mid-week Bible discussion groups are all about – learning what Jesus commands and learning why and how to obey those commands.
Notice one subtle thing embedded in this command. The command closes the loop because this command is one of the very things that Jesus commands of us. Not only are we to forgive others, to be baptized, to receive communion, but we are to go to all groups of people, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded. And people have passed on this command for two thousand years.
Jesus closes this passage – and the Gospel of Matthew – with this promise:
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” It is a great promise.
Many people think that evangelism is inviting people to church. But Jesus doesn’t tell us to do that anywhere I can find. Perhaps that’s why that inviting people to church rarely works. Perhaps that’s why people don’t show up. Jesus never asked us to invite people to church!
There is also an aspect of human psychology that keeps people away from church, particularly in small towns and rural areas. It is simply the idea that if I visit your church and don’t like it, I will have to face you at the grocery store sometime soon and tell you why I didn’t come back. Socially, visiting your church is high-risk for me. I think that I risk offending you if I don’t like it. But it is easier for me to visit a megachurch in a large city where I may not even run into you, and I can sneak in anonymously and back out again without meeting anyone I know.
No, Jesus never asked us to invite people to church. That’s the lazy way, and, like all lazy ways, it doesn’t work very well. According to Jesus, we don’t get off that easy. We are individually told to “go and make disciples of all groups of people, leading them to be baptized” – the pastor will lead that ceremony – “and we are to teach people to obey everything that Jesus has commanded us.”
What that means in practice is that we are each to take people who don’t know much of anything about the story of Jesus all the way up to wanting to be baptized. We are to tell people the story of Jesus. In other words, we are to “share the gospel”, the good news that God and Jesus love us, that God came to earth in the person of Jesus, that God chose to die on the cross in our place, and then was resurrected. AND that Jesus also promised that if we follow Jesus, we will also be resurrected and live eternally. And we are to tell people what God has done for us.
Let me ask a simple question at this point for you to answer to yourself and God: In the last five years, how many adults have you led to Jesus?
In the last five years, how many people of any age have you led to Jesus?
How many people in the last month – outside of people associated with this church – have you even spoken the word “Jesus” to?
Jesus made His command more detailed in the story told in Acts Chapter One, and began to tell us how to do this.
The Book of Acts was written by Luke. He picks up the story after the disciples have seen the resurrected Jesus over a forty-day period.
. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But 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.”
Notice that when we receive the Holy Spirit – which usually comes to people at their baptism and the laying on of hands – we receive power. What power? That’s the topic of another sermon.
The important thing today is that we are to be Jesus’ witnesses. We are to tell what Jesus said and did. Where?
First in Jerusalem – our home town, where we currently live.
Next, in Judea and Samaria, the county-sized territories near our home town. Judea was mostly Jewish, surrounding Jerusalem. Judea might be for us those local people who were raised in Christian families but who have drifted from the faith.
Samaria was inhabited by the Samarians, who were almost Jewish. Samaria might be for us those people who have heard of Christianity but never attended church. They might be like the young woman in one of my Ethics classes who asked me “what is a sermon?” or the other one who asked me “what does it mean when you ask ‘which book of the Bible?’”
And finally, to the ends of the earth, which means wherever you go to.
Saundra and I spent about five or six years in ministry to the students at the local college, primarily international students from China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, even Saudi Arabia and India. We ate dinner with them, we taught them about American culture and Christianity, and several became baptized believers. Sometimes, “the end of the earth” comes to us.
Notice that we are to be witnesses which in the original Greek is martyrs, telling other people of the miracles we’ve seen and telling people about what Jesus has done for us and other people. It’s that simple. Martyr means witness. Be a good witness, telling what you have seen and heard. (We rarely have to die to be a good witness.)
So why should we tell others about the Good News of Jesus?
There are three main reasons:
First, Jesus commands it. If you are truly a follower of Jesus, if you have truly accepted his lordship in your life, then you will do as He commands. And He commands us to tell everyone about Him.
The second reason we tell people about Jesus is very practical. God arranged things so doing the most practical thing would glorify God. Ask yourself these questions: Would you rather live around young people who worship Jesus – or live around young people who practice witchcraft and satanic rituals? When you grow old and go to a nursing home, would you rather have nurses that try to attend church every Sunday – or nurses that are recovering from hangovers every Sunday? Would you rather have in your town a group of young men who attend a Saturday morning prayer breakfast once a month – or a group of men who attend a Friday afternoon meeting of ISIS at a local mosque? Leading our neighbors and young people to Jesus is a very practical way of having a more peaceful, loving hometown.
The third reason we tell people about Jesus is that learning to be a good evangelist is difficult work. It isn’t easy. It creates virtue inside us. We cannot be a good evangelist if we don’t understand much of the Bible, so we must read and study the Bible. We cannot lead people to Christ if we don’t know Jesus, so we must learn about Jesus. We cannot attract people to Jesus if we are hateful, rude, crude, or nasty, so we must work on our character. If we set for ourselves a simple goal – that of leading one person to Jesus every year – we will find that Jesus will not allow us to delude ourselves about how Christlike we are. We will HAVE to become like Jesus to accomplish that simple goal.
About forty years ago, as new Christian groups arrived in our towns who were more outspoken about Jesus, it became fashionable to say, “I don’t speak about Jesus, but I just show Jesus in my life.”
That may have worked for a while back then, but life has changed. People can’t connect the dots anymore. “Some people are just nice and some aren’t”, is the view of many people. They don’t realize that being nice is due to the presence of the Holy Spirit and Christ within us. Yes, we have to show Jesus in our lives, but we also have to speak about Jesus. We have to connect the dots for people.
As we know, at one time it seemed like every family – Dad, Mom, the teenagers and the little ones, even the infants went to church every Sunday. There was no real question was whether the children would continue to attend a Christian church; the only question was whether they would be Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Church of Christ, or Catholic.
And so, as the teenagers grew older, Dad and Mom let them make their own decisions about which church to attend, which usually meant they attended the church with the desirable members of the opposite sex. And that was okay. People went to church and became Christian adults.
But getting the teenagers out of bed could be a problem. So Dad and Mom got tired of getting up the teenagers to go to church, and so when they made their own decisions – they attended the church of the soft pillow. And they continued in this way as they went to college or moved out to their own homes.
As their children grew up, they might take them to church at Christmas and Easter.
And as those children grew up, they went to church only for a wedding or occasional funeral.
And now, we have the situation where the parents never attend church and the kids only occasionally attend with Grandma, if ever. And so, we have a generation of young people who have never attended church and don’t know anything about Christianity except what anti-Christian Hollywood movies and television shows have taught them. And so they are biased against Christians. Or, they believe, “Some people attend church and some people don’t. Our family just doesn’t”.
It's sort of like how some people eat Italian food and others eat hamburgers or eat at steakhouses. Some people go to the movies and some people go to the car races. It’s just another aspect of life.
But we have been commanded by the God we say we follow to reach out to people and explain to them the Gospel. We aren’t told to invite them to church – we don’t get off that easy. We are to lead them to the point that they want to be baptized and then teach them to obey what Jesus has commanded. This is not just a command for the original disciples, nor for the pastors. It isn’t just a command for Sunday school teachers. It is a command for all Christians who believe that Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. It is a command for each of us.
So how do we do this?
The simplest way is to begin to praise God in your ordinary conversations. As King David wrote:
Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
You are in the checkout line. Say, “Hasn’t God given us wonderful weather today?” Give the credit to God rather than to “the weather” or “nature”.
“Hasn’t God given us wonderful fall leaves this year?” Give credit to God.
You have a full buggy and someone comes up with only two items. Let them in front of you and say, “Jesus told me to let you in front of me.” Give credit where credit is due.
You make a great lemon pie and people complement you. Say, “Thank you, but the credit really goes to God who sent me this wonderful teacher twenty years ago who taught me how to bake.”
Praise God about everything. To everyone.
And pretty soon a couple things will happen…
First, if you don’t normally do this, your friends will look at you strangely for a while…
Next, though, after a few weeks, people will begin to understand that you really do know something about God and Christ. And you DO! If you’ve been going to church for a year, you’ve heard about 50 sermons. If you been going ten years, you’ve heard about 500 sermons. Can you imagine the person who has attended church regularly for 50 years? 5,000 sermons! OF COURSE you know something about God. Especially compared to the young people who only know that God is a word that comes after “OH MY”.
After people realize that you know something about God and Jesus, slowly, slowly, people will begin to ask you to pray for them. PRAY RIGHT THEN AND THERE! Don’t put it off. Pray with them right then. Don’t say you’ll pray for them. Pray with them. Now!
And then, the next step is someone will ask you a deep question. “Why did God take my spouse and leave me alone?” or “I’ve done something terrible and I’m worried that I won’t be able to get into Heaven.”
And then, say a quick prayer for the Holy Spirit to guide your answer – and take the time to listen to your friend spill their guts to you. Give whatever advice the Spirit guides you to say – but mostly listen to them, for no one listens and that will set you apart in a good, attractive way.
Tell them a story from your own life – how you did something wrong, but you found peace because of what God told you or Jesus arranged in your life. Don’t exaggerate – but tell your own witness of what God has done. Tell of what you saw and heard and what happened.
And after a while, they’ll ask you where you go to church. Then – and only then – is the right time to offer to give them a ride.
Telling the Good News is a command from Jesus. Telling of God’s glory is a command from God. Being a solid, reliable witness is how we lead our friends, neighbors, and relatives to Christ. And that is how we can know that our friends, neighbors, and relatives will join us one day in Heaven.
Amen?