Missions Is A Mandate - Sermon Notes

The following is an outline of my sermon notes from a sermon delivered by Pastor Matt Wethington at Riverbend Baptist Church.

Matthew 28:19 says, "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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

If you are a Christian, you are already a missionary.

Our mission fields may differ, but our mission is the same.

Paul's ministry was received by grace (Romans 15;14-15).

I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. I have written you quiet boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me. - Romans 15:14-15

What is grace? Grace is unmerited favor. The effects of our ministry is not because of our own doing, but by the grace of God offered to us. We do not deserve to take any credit for the effects of our ministries. Whatever affects our ministries have on others, it is only by the grace God has extended to us when He uses us as a vessel to spread the Gospel of Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:9-11 says, "For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether then it was I or they, this is what we preach and this is what you believe."

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works so that no one can boast."

I am what I am because of God's grace.

Paul's ministry was centered on the gospel (Romans 15:16).

. . . to be the minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:16

A. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

B. Acts 4:12 - "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

C. Hebrews 4:12 - "For the word of God is living and active - sharper than any double edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

D. Ephesians 1:13 - "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit."

Paul's ministry was done for God's glory (Romans 15:17).

Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. - Romans 15:17

A. 1 Corinthians 10:31 - "So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

There are various ways of ministering to others. We can give clothing, build churches, or even conduct sports camps, but we must do all those things with the intense intention of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

B. Isaiah 26:8 - "Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desires of our hearts."

Everything Paul did - every door closed - every door opened - it was all done for the glory of God.

Paul's ministry was done by God's power (Romans 15:18-19).

I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done - by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. - Romans 15:18-19

The Holy Spirit empowered Paul to minister the gospel and enabled him to perform mighty signs and wonders.

Hebrews 2:4 - "God also testified to it by signs, wonders, and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will."

1 Corinthians 3:5-8 - "What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you come to believe - as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed. Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose and each will be rewarded according to his own labor."

We can do a lot of stuff that may or may not result in eternal significance, but the things that do impact eternity can only be accomplished by the power of God working and moving in us.

Paul's ministry was done according to God's plan (Romans 15:20-24).

It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known so that I would not be building on some else's foundation. Rather as it is written: Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand. This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you. But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for awhile. - Romans 15:20-24

Paul went into the major cities to establish churches. Then he left them under wise leadership before moving on to another city to establish another church. Once Paul left, the churches reproduced and planted other churches throughout the smaller towns and courntrysides. That was God's plan for Paul's ministries.

We don't have to sell all we have or move to foreign lands or go into the jungles of the world to be a missionary.

We are already missionaries where God has placed us: our schools, classrooms, businesses, workplaces, our community, our family, the ball fields, and even the grocery stores.

We are missionaries and we are commanded to be so.

Some will be called to travel to foreign lands or go into the jungles of the world, but the rest of us are commanded to minister where we are - where we have already been placed by God.

We must understand our role.

We do not all have the same ministry, but we do have the same mission - to spread the gospel of Jesus.