Delaying the Commission

Key Verse: “Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:60

A commission is an instruction or an authorization to do something. Many of us have heard the phrase “The Great Commission” and if not, we’ve certainly heard “The Good News” even if we’re not entirely sure what it means. The Good News is that freedom and eternal life exist through Jesus Christ who died, was buried, and resurrected on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). He who knew no sin became sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God. Because of the blood Jesus shed for us, we are not only reconciled back to God, but we are now ambassadors of Christ who God makes an appeal through (1 Corinthians 5:18-21). I mean, what an honor? God not only restores and redeems us, but then uses us to bring others to that same restoration and redemption! That is the Great Commission. We’ve been authorized to go and preach the Good News to those we came out from (1 Corinthians 6:17, Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:19)

There’s a sanctifying process God brings us through when we give our lives to him. No longer do we live for ourselves, but we crucify our flesh and our will and we are given a new heart and spirit through Christ. I submit that until we truly repent and deny our flesh, we aren’t equipped to spread the Gospel. We need to die to ourselves by carrying our cross and following Jesus daily. It is not an easy journey to take and why Jesus says to count the cost (Luke 14:128). Living for Jesus is more than simply saying “yes” to the benefit of Him coming to our rescue. It is also saying “yes” to becoming a living sacrifice and being used as a vessel for His glory.  We cannot only recognize Him as Savior; He needs to be Lord over our lives also. And we make him Lord when we obey his instruction. I believe we all reach a point in our walk where we are met with the weighty decision to leave behind what is old and dead to pursue what is new and alive!

There are 3 passages I want to mention, that deal with obeying the command of the Lord and leaving behind what is dead:

1. Jesus and the Disciple: In Luke 9:60, we see that Jesus tells his disciple(s) to follow him at the cost of burying or leaving their loved ones. They have the desire to follow, but are faced with the cost of what it means to leave behind what they hold dear to their heart. We’re not sure whether or not they obey the Lord’s instruction, but we do know the Word also says, if we love Him, we will obey his commandments. If those disciples truly loved Him, we can assume they would have pursued Life.
2. Lot’s Wife: In Genesis 19, angels approach Lot and his family letting them know the perverted city of Sodom was going to be destroyed. Even though the angels instructed Lot to leave, verse16 tells us he was hesitant! So much so, the angels had to grab them by the hands to rush them to safety (Genesis 19:16), but why? I believe he was counting the cost of leaving behind the life he knew. The angels told Lot and his family to run for Life and not to look back or they would be swept away. As God utterly destroys Sodom, Lot's wife looks back and she turns into a pillar of salt. 
3. Our Sinful Nature: In John 3:16, we see God so loved the world He gave his only Son to become the offering in which we would be saved. This Lamb of God would destroy the powers of sin and death, and through Him we would find everlasting life. When we accept this precious gift, we make a public statement via baptism that we are no longer living for ourselves, but for God (Colossians 2:11-12). It isn’t too long after that, God instructs us, like Lot, not to look back and to pursue Life. In pursuit of a relationship with God, we will undoubtedly put to death our sinful passions and desires (Galatians 5:24) and it is then we count the cost of what it means to truly follow Jesus. 

So, what's the point? In John 10:9, Jesus says that he is the door. The way to the Father, the entrance to life and true freedom. Accepting Jesus as Savior is just the beginning. Many people have said “yes” to salvation, but are counting the cost of saying “yes” to sanctification. Some of us have set up lawn chairs on the side of freedom, forgetting that our new life in Christ isn’t an opportunity to gratify the flesh (Galatians 5:13) In His mercy, God has blessed us with so much, but the freedom we were brought into was not for us to say “well, at least I’m saved” but to bring that same freedom to those bound to sin! Paul insists in Galatians 5:13, that we use our freedom to “serve one another in love” and that this actually fulfills the entire law! We have the fearful responsibility (2 Corinthians 5:11) of coming and going through the gate which is Jesus (John 10:9) preaching the Gospel and bringing lost sheep to Green Pastures. As we do so, Jude gives us some discretion, “but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh” (Jude 1:23)

So, let us not delay the Commission by accepting His sacrifice for our freedom, but ignore the call to go and make disciples of all nations. And more than just say we love our neighbor, let us show the Truth lives in us by our actions (1 John 3:18).

"Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire." Matthew 3:8-10