Matthew 28:11-20

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

The Great Commission of Our Lord to Evangelize the World

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. The resurrection of Christ has resulted in committed skepticism.

  2. The resurrection of Christ has resulted in committed evangelism.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Did you realize the Trinity is taught in the Great Commission?

QUESTIONS

  1. Where did the Lord instruct His disciples He would meet them?

  2. What did the Jewish leaders do when they heard about the resurrection of Christ?

  3. Why did the Jewish leaders assure the Roman soldiers that they would appease the governor if necessary (Matthew 28:14)?

  4. How do we know the Jewish leaders and the Roman soldiers did not truly believe the disciples had stolen Jesus’ body?

  5. What has changed since Matthew 10:5-7, when Jesus told His disciples only to preach to the lost Jewish people?

  6. Where is the doctrine of the Trinity taught in the Bible?

ANSWERS

  1. On a mountain in Galilee. See Matthew 26:32 and Matthew 28:7, 10, and 16.

  2. They conspired with the Roman soldiers to hide the truth.

  3. Because the Roman soldiers could be put to death for falling asleep on their watch.

  4. If they truly believed this, they would have found the disciples and forced them to return Jesus’ body.

  5. The King and His offer of the kingdom were rejected by the Jewish people. Israel has been set aside, temporarily, from God’s favor. In the meantime, the gospel of God’s grace is going out into all the world.

  6. The word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible, but the doctrine of the Trinity is certainly taught. Matthew 28:19 is one of several verses where the three Persons of the Godhead are mentioned together. There is one “name” for the three of them.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. There were many committed skeptics opposed to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, then and today. Some are not willing to change their opinion, no matter what evidence you may present. But if someone was willing to hear the evidence for the resurrection, what would you tell them?

  2. Discuss how the basis of the Christian faith differs from other faiths. The basis of the Christian faith is not just the teaching of the founder, Jesus Christ. It is the events of His life, culminating in His death and resurrection. The Christian faith is built on the sacrificial and substitutional death for the sins of the world. It is built on His bodily resurrection to prove that the debt for our sins has been paid, and God is completely satisfied. This is news worth sharing!

CHALLENGE

  1. The Great Commission is a command, not a “Great Suggestion.” What are you doing to take part in the work of spreading the message of Christ to the world? How are you involved in making disciples?

KEY VERSES

  • “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’” Matthew 28:13

  • “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20



Matthew, Talks, New TestamentDeb HarmsMatthew 28:11-20