Perspectives Lesson 4

I am really happy that I was selected to present lesson 4 because there is more opportunity to talk about Jesus in this lesson than in any of the others. The subject is Mandate for the Nations.

There will be several distinct parts to my presentation this evening. I will begin with an overview of God’s purposes, then we will examine the teachings and actions of Jesus which set the direction for global missionary activity, we’ll reflect on the Great Commission statements of Jesus, and conclude with a look at the pattern of God’s work through human history. A tall order to be covered in two hours.

I want to further alert you to what is coming: I have been accused of feeding my listeners with a shovel rather than a spoon, and I am aware that you will find it difficult to take notes. I suggest that you not even try! I suggest you take in the big picture this evening and then later, for those of you who want to review or need details, check on my website. The text is posted there word for word. The URL is <proclaiming-gods-word.com>. In the upper right hand panel, click on “other,” then look for Perspectives Lesson 4.

(Question #1)During this first segment, I want to ask some questions in order to get us tracking down the same pathway. Let’s begin with an easy question: Which came first, missions or the Church? (Show of hands.) (Why did you choose as you did?)

Actually, both choices are technically correct. The Church was formed by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost day, so technically the Church was first. However, all the other churches mentioned in the book of Acts and formed throughout the past 2000 plus years came about as the result of some kind of missions’ outreach efforts.

This thought by theologian Emil Brunner captures the reality of church history correctly: “The Church exists by missions as fire exists by burning.” Missions’ outreach is essential for the expansion and growth of the Church.

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(Question #2)Now let’s move on to another, more complicated, question: Who is the central figure to whom all Scripture points?

“Ah,” you say, “that is a foolish question. I’m sure that the first thought that popped into your minds was — “Jesus Christ.”

I understand why this would be your answer. After all, Jesus was the Creator of all that is, He is the Sustainer at the present time, and He will someday be the Terminator. Jesus was the One who was prophesied in the Old Testament, Who became incarnate, Who demonstrated and taught the ways of God, Who suffered and died on the cross, Who became alive after burial, Who ascended into heaven. Jesus is the One who provided our salvation, Who indwells us with His life, Who intercedes for us in heaven, and Who will return for us at the end of the age. We know that it was the Father’s will is “to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.” So yes, I understand why you would say that Jesus Christ is the central figure to whom all Scripture points.

However, there is another focus in Scripture which is actually more basic and essential to our theological understanding — and that is God’s concern for mankind. It was this concern which caused the Father to send His Son into the world to be its Redeemer. It was the Son who willingly laid aside His heavenly attributes to become human in order to be mankind’s Saviour. It was the Spirit who was sent into the lives of humans in order that God’s life could be resident in them. In all of the actions of the members of the Godhead we recognize that the focal point of all God’s purposes and plans is — mankind! This is why we can say that the central figure of Scripture is the human race.

As important as Jesus Christ is in the plans and purposes of the Godhead, in the final analysis, He is the means or facilitator who makes our relationship with the Godhead possible. He was the One who created mankind (“For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by Him and for Him,” Colossians 1:16). He was the One who left the glories of heaven in order to identify with our humanity (He “made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being found in appearance as a man,” Philippians 2:7-8).

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He was the One who suffered and died on the cross to atone for our sins and to establish the way of a restored relationship with God (“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior, but now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation,” Colossians 1:19-22).

He was and is the mediator who stands between God and mankind (“For there is … one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men,” I Timothy 2:5-6). I hope you agree with me that Jesus was the One who facilitated humanity’s restored spiritual reconnection with God.

(Question #3)Now let’s move on to another important question: How much of Scripture has either an explicit or implicit missionary focus?

I don’t expect you to have a ready answer to this question. FYI, there are 1,189 chapters in the Bible [929 chapters  in the Old Testament and 260 chapters in the New Testament] so would you be surprised if I stated that there are only four of those chapters which do not have either an explicit or implicit missionary emphasis?

Two of those chapters are at the beginning of the Bible, Genesis chapters 1 & 2. In these chapters we read that God created the universe and then concentrated His attention on one small planet of that universe. He systemically and carefully prepared the earth for human habitation. The high point of the creative process was when: [God said “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So] “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” God then declared that everything He had made was very good.

Chapter two of Genesis provides some additional details about the living conditions of Adam and Eve. They were in a perfect environment. Everything was exactly like God wanted it to be. Adam and Eve had a close personal relationship with their Creator and LORD. There was no shame or guilt because they were holy and pure. We can say that mankind was dwelling in the glory that God intended for mankind. Hence, there was no reason for missionary activity.

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The other two chapters in Scripture which do not have a missionary focus are at the end of the Bible, Revelation chapters 21-22. [What do these chapters describe?]

These chapters describe “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.” [What are the characteristics of the new heaven and earth?]

There is “no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” All the consequences of sin and separation from God are ended. Members of the human race are once again in close personal fellowship with the LORD God. Nothing impure and contaminated by sin exists in the presence of the holy God. Mankind is fully restored to the glory and relationship which originally existed in the Garden in Eden. Again there is no need for missionary activity.

We can diagram these four chapters like this

(Question #4)Another quick question: What is your definition of a missionary?

Answer: A missionary goes to people who are separated from God and spiritually lost. The missionary presents the Good News about Jesus Christ to these people in order that they may be reconciled to God. This is what God Himself has been doing since Genesis 3. He has been reaching out to individuals who are spiritually lost. We can describe God as a “missionary God.” Modern missionaries simply follow the example of God Himself.

Genesis 1 – 2

Man in Glory

Revelation 21 – 22

Man in Glory

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Now let’s think about all the other 1185 chapters in the Bible. In Genesis chapter 3 the circumstances affecting mankind changed dramatically and tragically. The disobedience of Adam and Eve caused their fall from their position of perfection and glory. They lost the glory that God had originally given to them.

From that point in time people were spiritually helpless creatures. They maintained physical life only because of the mercy of God. He banished Adam and Eve from the Garden in Eden so that they could not eat of the Tree of Life and live forever in their desperate condition, and He implemented a plan whereby His fallen human creation could be brought back into fellowship with Himself.

The plan began with a promise that the offspring of the woman would some day crush the head of the tempter. This plan is described in a systematic and sequential way throughout the Scriptures. All the chapters from Genesis 3 until the end of Revelation 20 are a history record of what God has done for fallen humanity.

The Scriptures for Genesis 3through Revelation 20 are a

record of our missionary God’sactivity in restoring people to

their intended glory

Jesus Christ was revealed in Law, Prophets, Psalms, and New Testament as the Facilitator of God’s missionary activity.

Now I want us to think about the deep aspects of the “missions enterprise.” God’s missionary activity is a crucial part of the mystery of His eternal purposes. Think about the purposes of God revealed in these verses:

John 3:16 “God so loved the world that He gave his Son …”

Genesis 1 – 2

Man in Glory

Revelation 21 – 22

Man in Glory

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I John 2:2 Jesus “is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world”

I Peter 1:18-20 “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed … but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.”

I Tim. 2:3-6 God “wants all men to be saved “.....”, “there is one … mediator between God and all mankind” (a “mediator” is a “facilitator”), ----- “Christ Jesus … gave Himself as a ransom for all men.” (Note the three references to “all” in these verses!)

Matt. 24:14 “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.”

Rev. 5:9 “You are worthy … because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

From these and other verses we can see that God’s purpose is to restore people to the position originally intended at the time of creation. Some of the human race will be returned to this position in Revelation 21-22. From the verses, it is obvious that Christ is the means by which restoration is accomplished. This point is brought out in the passage in I Peter: “Christ … was chosen before the creation of the world” to be the sacrificial Lamb to redeem people. Jesus Christ is indeed the central essential figure of Scripture, and all God’s purposes are worked out through Him, but God’s plan itself is focused on the spiritual needs of all people.

(Question #5)Next question: Why do we have a Bible?

Answer: the Bible is the story of what God has done/is doing to accomplish His purposes.

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Between the “bookend” chapters of the Bible, every aspect of God’s activity has been and is missionary outreach activity. God's redemptive mission is the basis for the Biblical revelation! If God had not purposed to redeem mankind, there would have been no need for Him to reveal Himself through the Biblical record. We have a Bible because God wants people to have a record of His outreach efforts to bring the human race back into an intimate relationship with Himself. Hence, we can make the bold statement that missions is the basis of the Bible, and we can learn from the Bible that God wants people to join Him in His outreach efforts. That’s the launching point for the next segment of this presentation.

Segment 2For the next several minutes I want to look at the two most significant aspects within Jesus’ incarnation. I grant you that there are many reasons why the Father sent His Son to earth and why Jesus was willing to lay aside the glories of heaven in order to become a human. I want to call your attention to the two most important.

I can describe the first significant aspect very quickly. It relates to the disobedience of Adam and Eve and the severing of the perfect and intimate relationship which originally existed between our holy God and His human creation. In Genesis chapter 3, God put into motion the process which led eventually to the death of Jesus on the cross. Jesus left the glories of heaven in order to die the death that every sinner deserved. God poured out on Him the wrath that every sinner deserved. Because of His atonement, God was able to declare righteous, and to reestablish an intimate relationship with, each person who put faith into God’s activities.

Let me summarize this point as quickly as possible by quoting a number of verses from Romans. [emphasize the “throughs”] “Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe …and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice … so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:22-26).

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Another passage: [emphasize the “throughs”] “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (Romans 5:1-2).

And one more: [emphasize the “throughs”] “God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Romans 5: 8-11).

[Did you notice the many times Paul allueded to Jesus as Facilitator?]

These verses are a very distilled synopsis of the theology behind the initiatives that God began to implement in Genesis chapter 3. I sure you already understand all this. It is basic theology.

The second significant aspect of Jesus’ ministry was introduced to you back in Lesson 1. Because Jesus was to be the Savior of all the inhabitants of earth, God, through Jesus, had to put into place the process whereby all peoples on earth might have opportunity to learn about the salvation provided by Jesus.

You know that God initiated this part of the process by unilaterally calling the man named Abram, then raising up through him a particular cultural group which was to be God’s witness to all the other people groups on earth. God declared that Abram’s descendents would be blessed in order that “all peoples on earth might be blessed through them.” The Hebrew people were designated as “lights to the Gentiles.”

What I am going to focus on in the next few minutes is the emphasis that Jesus placed on universal outreach while He was on earth. Jesus was not just the Messiah of the Jews. Yes, He entered humanity as a member of one particular cultural group, but one critically important aspect of His mission while on earth was to prepare His followers to go into all the world in order that “all peoples might be blessed.”

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I don’t have time to mention all the New Testament verses which reveal the fact that Jesus was the Messiah for all people. Here are a few of them:

*Forty days after His birth, Mary and Joseph encountered the man named Simeon in the temple. Simeon prophesied of Jesus, “My eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32). All people, Gentiles as well as Jews.

*During the months of His ministry, Jesus led His disciples into territories that orthodox Jews would not step foot into. In Samaria He engaged a woman in conversation, with the result that many Samaritans “believed in him,” convinced that He really was “the Savior of the world”(John 4).

*On another occasion, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon, territories which were outside of Israel. A Canaanite woman came to Him pleading for mercy. After determining the depth of her faith, Jesus healed her daughter.

*When Jesus sailed with His disciples to the region of the Gadarenes, He was met by a demon-possessed man who lived among the tombs. Jesus healed the man and instructed him to remain among his Gentile people as a witness to the power of God.

*Inside Israel, Jesus healed the servant of a Roman centurion. Roman officials were, of course, despised by the Jews. Before Jesus healed the servant, He announced, “many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 8:5-11; Luke 13:28-29).

*Jesus not only demonstrated a compassionate attitude toward non-Jews like Romans, Samaritans, Gadarenes, and Canaanites, but, in His teaching, He gave a number of illustrations which called attention to God’s concern for non-Isrealites. For example, during His meeting with the worshipers in Nazareth, He spoke of the time when Elijah did not minister to the many widows of Israel who were suffering through a lengthy drought, although he did help a widow in the Canaanite village of Sidon. He also spoke of Elisha who did not provide healing for any of the lepers of Israel although he healed Naaman, the military leader from Syria.

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*In one of His parables, Jesus spoke favorably of the Good Samaritan who took pity on the man who was injured. Several of the kingdom parables have universal applications.

*In John chapter 10 Jesus announced that His flock was comprised of more than Jews. He announced, “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16).

*Perhaps the most striking illustration of Jesus’ desire to be identified with non-Israelites is indicated in the name by which He wanted to be known. The Jews wanted their Messiah to be the “Son of David,” a king who would reestablish their sovereignty as a nation. Jesus, however, referred to Himself frequently as “the Son of Man.” He used this term as the universal designation of Himself as Savior of the world.

There are other passages which I am omitting because of lack of time. What I am trying to convey is the fact that Jesus’ interaction with individuals from non-Jewish cultural backgrounds helped His disciples to understand His concern for Gentiles as well as Jews. During His months of ministry, it was Jesus’ task to prepare His disciples to be His witnesses in all the world. In my opinion, the disciples were not surprised by Jesus’ Great Commission statements about going into all the world. _________________________________________________________________________________________

Segment 3Now we are beginning the 3rd segment of my presentation. I want to focus your attention on the Great Commission statements. But first, by way of introduction, I want to reference the statements made by Jesus in His prayer to the Father in John chapter 17. At the beginning of His prayer, Jesus said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given to him.” Then two verses later, He made this statement, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:1-2, 4).

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Note that Jesus had authority over all people. Literally, the fate of all humanity was on Him. By means of His death, He had the capacity to offer eternal life to all people. Think of the burden that was weighing on Him as He was anticipating the experience on the cross — when the wrath of God would fall on Him because of the sins of the world.

Those thoughts are awesome and worthy of more reflection, but I want us to focus on verse 4, particularly on the phrase, “I have completed the work you gave to me.” Jesus accomplished many things during His months of ministry. He taught about and demonstrated the characteristics of the kingdom. He displayed the powers of God. It is my opinion that the most important of His works, other than His death, was preparing His followers for the on-going work of evangelistic outreach. In preparing His disciples for evangelistic outreach efforts, He was laying the groundwork for the ministry activities of all subsequent generations of followers.

If Jesus only came to die for the sins of all people, He could have laid down His life almost anytime during His adult years. I don’t want to minimize the significance of His death. The point I am trying to make is that there was more to the responsibilities given to Him by the Father than going to the cross. During His ministry years, Jesus modeled a pattern of outreach activities which must continue until the end of the age. And that’s how we get into the picture.

Earlier, I suggested that Jesus was the Facilitator of the Father’s purposes toward mankind. I now want you to think of the followers of Jesus as co-facilitators of the on-going purposes of the Father. This is why, at the end of the prayer in John 17, Jesus prayed, concerning His followers of the future: “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” And He added, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message” (John 17:18, 20). Friends, Jesus prayed for you and me and has high expectations of us!

There are Great Commission statements in each of the Gospel accounts and in the beginning of the book of Acts. For the sake of time, I will concentrate on the verses in Matthew 28.

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“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.”

The first item to note, in verse 18, is the scope of the authority of Jesus. It covers both heaven and earth. This is a Biblical way of saying that His authority is as complete and comprehensive as is possible. All of heaven’s resources are available to Him and controlled by Him because He is “seated at the right hand of God in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:20-21).

During His years on earth Jesus demonstrated authority over the temptations and forces of of Satan, over the forces of nature, over disease, over physical death. He granted forgiveness of sins and personally overcame the consequences of sin — death and the power of hell. All this was beyond amazing since Jesus had given up His heavenly rights and privileges in becoming human, and had to rely entirely on His heavenly Father for His day by day living and ministry activities.

As a result, we as the born-again followers of Jesus, have a model which should impact and control our lives. Because of the life He lived, we can understand what a human can be and accomplish when wholly yielded to God. Jesus, on one occasion, said to His disciples, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12).

Jesus shares His authority with His followers. This should bring assurance to all those who are in a relationship with Him. But there is a challenge associated with that relationship. There is, in fact, a substantial list of requirements and expectations that goes along with the believer’s identification with Jesus.

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One of the very clear indications of the believer’s responsibilities is the command of Jesus in verse 19 to “make disciples” of people everywhere. Jesus assigned this responsibility to His followers because He wanted them to continue to do what He had been doing during His months on earth, and to continue that ministry in areas far beyond the borders of Israel.

Let’s think about the characteristics of a disciple. In the Bible the general idea of discipleship is “learning in the context of a relationship.” Throughout the New Testament, discipleship always involved attachment to a person. A Biblical disciple is a person who has a deep, abiding commitment to Jesus. Jesus emphasized this when He said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples” (John 8:31-32).

Jesus declared that the student disciple strives to become like the master: “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Matthew 10:24-25; Luke 6:40). The Apostle Paul called the attention of his readers in Rome to the reason why God calls individuals to Himself: They are “predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Romans 8:29). [Every book on theology and discipleship should begin with that statement! That should be tattooed on every believers arm!]

Becoming like Jesus requires the disciple to have the same attitude of servanthood as Jesus: “I have set you an example that you should do what I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:15-17), and in another passage, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26-28; Mark 10:43-45).

Becoming like Jesus requires the disciple to be engaged in the same pursuits and undertakings that were of concern to Jesus: Going out with the same message about the kingdom of God, communicating that message to all people groups in the world, manifesting the same compassion to those who are sick and suffering and possessed with unclean spirits, willing to suffer for and even to die in order to advance God’s Kingdom. Jesus reminded His disciples: “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20).

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Ultimately, and most important of all, Jesus wants His disciples to always be doing those things which are pleasing to the Father. Paul prayed that we would “live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way” (Colossians 1:10). He also urges us, “in view of God’s mercy, to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, as our spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1).

In short, a disciple puts the relationship with Jesus ahead of all other earthly commitments. In the Sermon on the Mount He said, “Seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus elsewhere stated this priority in quite dramatic terms: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26).

Jesus expected His followers to be a very different kind of people, loving their enemies, holding loosely their possessions, pursuing spiritual principles, obeying His commands. “Am I a Soldier of the Cross …” Isaac Watt

“Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease” … “For the true disciple, life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of dust, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a ride!” (Hunter Thompson, a pagan writer)

Unfortunately, the historical flow of the Church through the centuries in regard to these matters has not been appropriate. Too often, New Testament believers became casual about their faith and obedience. They neglected the word of God and the voice of the Holy Spirit. Too often the people of Jesus put their energies into the pursuits of their personal goals and ambitions. Discipling the nations was way down on their priority lists.

This is especially the scenario today in the western developed countries. The resources of believers are overwhelmingly invested in personal interests. The typical evangelical church member invests less than 3 per cent of assets in religious and charitable giving. They have an unbalanced view in how they should invest their time and energies: Recreation and leisure receive far greater amounts of time and dollars than resources put into disciple-making activities.

Surveys indicate that half of evangelicals have never witnessed to a non-believer. I’m sure Jesus is disappointed in many of His followers. He died for them and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, drew them into fellowship with

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Himself in order that they would be His feet and hands in telling others about His great gift of eternal life, and they show very little appreciation of that fact.

Currently, about one-third of the earth’s population has never had the opportunity to learn about Jesus and the redemption He offers. The assignment for the people of God has not changed for 2000 years. Jesus’ command to make disciples still applies. He expects all His followers to be disciple-makers “wherever they go.” Some intrepid individuals will be called to travel to far-away places in order to be disciple-makers in cross-cultural environments. Whatever our place in life may be, the Lord Jesus must be our priority. He demands and expects His followers to put their time, skills, money, energies, literally everything they are and have, at His disposal. After all, He is our Redeemer, our Lord and Master, and we are His feet and hands, called to be His servants.

There are two significant facts that we need to keep in mind. First, we need to remember that our citizenship is in heaven (Ephesians 2:6) and that we should think of ourselves as aliens and immigrants and strangers here on earth. Second, Jesus said that there is nothing to compare to the privilege of serving Him here on earth. He said that “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29). I hope you are grasping the fact that making disciples is the activity which should dominate our lives.

(Verse 20)Fortunately, Jesus coupled a promise with His command, and the promise makes the fulfillment of the command possible. The promise of His presence, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, means that believers possess the power, the guidance, the resources, the abilities, literally everything that is necessary to accomplish everything that Jesus expects us to do. We must not imagine that we can accomplish anything for God in our strength, but by making ourselves available to Him, by wholeheartedly yielding ourselves to Him, and by being obedient to everything He has demanded of us, we will experience a high degree of efficiency in our disciple-making efforts. God will put wind behind our sails as we move out in obedience to Him. Spiritual work is God’s work. He wants to work through us. He wants us to be co-facilitators in His work.

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The Gospel of Matthew closes with the statement that Jesus will stick with His followers throughout this present age. Earlier in Matthew, Jesus informed us when this present age would end. He said, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all people groups, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). There is a logical connection between the two passages. Putting two and two together, we conclude that believers are expected to go everywhere in the world in order to make disciples because there must be disciples from everywhere in the world before the end of the age. If we are obedient to the Great Commission instructions of Jesus, we will be hastening the end of this age. And we have the assurance that the task will ultimately be accomplished.

Let this thought burn into your mind: “As the Father sent Jesus to fulfill His purposes, Jesus wants to send us.”

Segment 4We will now move on to examine briefly God’s activity throughout human history. This will be a big picture view from 30,000 feet. I want you to understand how God has worked since Genesis chapter 3. Secondly, I want you to recognize and appreciate how God persistently kept His plans for the human race on track even though people constantly failed to be obedient and to cooperate with Him and His ways. Thirdly, I want you to recognize the pattern in God’s activity. We’re going to discover that at several crucial stages in the history of the human race, God unilaterally selected specific individuals and assigned specific responsibilities to them.

It is important that students of the Scriptures see this big picture of God’s activity. Previously, we learned that God is a missionary God — that He has been and still is persistently reaching out to fallen humanity in order to draw individuals back into a loving relationship with Himself. Unfortunately, even as God has kept history moving toward the accomplishment of His purposes, He has constantly had to overcome the disobedience and lack of cooperation of His people. It is my hope that our generation (your generation) will not repeat the mistakes of the past.

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A thorough study of missions must begin “before the beginning;” that is, with God in eternity past, before there was time and physical space. The Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are eternal in nature, self existent, complete in themselves, and yet they chose to create outside of themselves.

We don’t fully understand why God chose to do this. Whatever the reason, the Godhead proceeded with the creation of time, space, the galaxies, this little planet that we live on, the animal life and vegetable life which fills our earth, and finally, as the climatic act and high point of the creative process, people.

It was at this very beginning of human history that God established the pattern of His activity. God could have brought into existence multitudes of people, but He didn’t. He started with two individuals, Adam and Eve. He created them in His own image and he gave them several responsibilities. They were to reproduce themselves, “to be fruitful and increase in number, to fill the earth” with their offspring. As natural reproductive processes worked themselves out over time, there would be a growing population to “subdue the earth” and “rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every living creature that moved on the ground.” Adam and Eve were delegated to be stewards for God. They and their descendants were responsible for the well being of all the creatures on the earth.

God provided His human creation with the privilege and opportunity to glorify Him through service. His purposes would be accomplished on the earth through their cooperation. We can diagram God’s plan in this way:

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In the diagram, I have illustrated eternity past, the realm of God before time and space, and the physical creation, during which God created the first pair of humans. The hairpin lines illustrate the growth of the human population on the earth. As Adam and Eve produced offspring and those offspring produced offspring, generation after generation, the number of people would increase.

Let's reflect on the situation of Adam and Eve for a moment. For a period of time they experienced only perfection and goodness. They did not have to make value judgments or to choose between options that would be good or bad, or even between good, better, or best. They were in partnership with God, using the resources that God provided in order to carry out their stewardship responsibilities. They were given the ability to organize things and to maintain, in an orderly way, life on earth for the glory and honor of God.

We don’t know how long Adam and Eve continued to function in a God-pleasing way. We only know that in Genesis chapter 3 a major crisis developed. There was one tree in the garden in Eden which was a test of their obedience. This tree was called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When the tempter came to the woman he referred to this particular tree in this way: “God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The tempter was correct when he said this. After they had eaten the fruit, the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the Tree of Life and eat, and live forever.” The LORD God had not intended Adam and Eve to have this kind of knowledge. The tempter implied that this knowledge would be a step forward in their experience, but it proved to be a tragic step backward for all humanity.

Up to this point, I’m not sure that Adam and Eve could have distinguished between things that were good and things that were bad or evil . They had been living in a perfect environment — an environment that was as good as God wanted it to be. They could not appreciate the goodness that they had because there was no basis of comparison — until they lost their state of perfection. Then they suddenly could distinguish between the goodness they previously had and the badness into which they had fallen. They recognized their great sense of loss only after the irrevocable change in their situation.

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From that point on human beings have carried a tremendous burden of responsibility for their own behavior. If people were logical, they would make good choices and avoid bad choices. Consider the wild animals at a circus; they can be trained to do some amazing things. In their training, they are conditioned in their behavior in a very simple way: they are rewarded for good actions and punished for bad actions. This is a little like what God does with sinful humanity. After Genesis chapter 3 the members of the human race were expected to live according to their sense of right and wrong. This is called the human conscience. How did it work out in actuality?

From chapter 1 we understand that Adam and Eve were created in God's own image. This fact is repeated in Genesis 5:1. However, in 5:3 we are informed that Adam reproduced himself in his own fallen image. The consequences of this fallen image are exemplified by Cain, the first son of Adam and Eve. He had a problem of anger. The LORD explained to Cain that he would have to make a decision about his life (Genesis 4:6-7). Even though Cain knew in advance what the consequences of his actions would be, he let his anger influence his behavior and he killed his brother Abel. Cain did not follow his conscience, and he made an evil choice. As punishment, he and his many descendents lived outside the presence of the LORD.

On the other hand, we have a good example in Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve. The last verse in Chapter 4 tells us that Seth and his descendants “began to call on the name of the LORD." This verse can also be translated: “they began to proclaim the name of the LORD.” Seth and his descendents formed a Godly remnant in the midst of the increasing numbers of people on the planet. They were a positive influence among the multitudes. By calling on and proclaiming the name of the LORD, they were witnesses of God. They helped to guide human behavior. They were like salt and light in their generations. In their era, they were the conscience of humanity, helping people to make godly choices.

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We can add another section to our diagram:

The inner hairpin represents the godly line of Seth in the midst of the general population.

Seth is the second example of the emerging pattern of God’s activity. God selected him as the key individual to spearhead a movement. Seth, like Adam, was given the incredible privilege to serve and honor God, and God intended His purposes on earth to be accomplished as the descendents of Seth faithfully carried out their assignments.

How long did the descendents of Seth continue to serve God, to be a godly influence in the world? We can only guess. By Chapter 6 we have another crisis point and another emerging part of the pattern. The general description of the situation before the flood is in chapter 6, verse 11. “the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence.” Apparently as the generations moved along in time, the descendents of Seth became careless about their responsibility to honor God and they became conformed to the ways of the world rather than being agents of change within the world.

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God had to do something about the problems on earth. In verse 5 we read, “ The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” And it tells us that God “decided to wipe mankind, whom He had created, from the face of the earth, along with the animals, the creatures that crawled along the ground and the birds of the air.”

There is a note of hope in verse 8, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.”

Noah was selected by God to launch a new beginning on a cleansed earth. Following the flood, Noah and his descendents became the guardians and custodians of God’s cause. It was their responsibility to direct peoples’ attention to the living God. The words that God used to bless Noah and his wife, and their sons and their wives, are remarkably similar to the blessing that God spoke to Adam a few chapters earlier, “As for you, be fruitful, increase in number, multiply on the earth, increase upon it” (9:1, 7).

Because violence had been such a problem before the flood, it was necessary for God to provide special help to people so that they could control their inclinations

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toward violence and corruption. God explains this in chapter 9, verses 5 and 6, “...for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.” The word “accounting” occurs three times in one verse.

Verse 6 explains how accountability would work: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.” This was a form of human self-government by which people would be responsible to each other for their behavior. This system of mutual accountability was intended to suppress the violence upon the earth.

The expectation of God for Noah and his descendents was very clear: As they increased in number and moved across the earth, as they lived in obedience and faithfulness, as they fulfilled their roles as stewards of the earth and made appropriate choices, and were accountable within society, then the spread of evil would be hindered and the purposes of God would be accomplished on earth.

This system seemed to work well for several generations, but all too soon again, people became careless about their obedience and the inclinations of their hearts were toward evil. The next crisis point is explained in Genesis chapter 11. Verse 1 informs us that “...the whole world had one language and a common speech.” Apparently up to this point in time, God wanted the human race to remain in some kind of cultural unity.

Now think about that situation for a minute. What an incredible advantage that would be for humanity! There would be few problems of misunderstanding because people could understand each other very well. There wouldn’t be the ethno-centrism or the prejudices that arise when some people speak and act differently than others. Imagine what potential good could come out of a situation in which none of these misunderstandings would exist.

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God intended this unity in culture for the good of humanity, but whenever you have the potential for good in a situation like this, you also have the potential for indescribable evil to come from it. Chapter 11 describes people who were united in their desire to be disobedient to God. In verse 6, “The LORD said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this (that is, to build a city and tower and make a name for themselves), then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them...’” And He confused their ability to communicate and cooperate in their work and therefore humanity was separated into many language groups.

I suppose rather quickly the people began to identify others who spoke like themselves, then began to organize themselves into separate tribes and nations, and soon they scattered themselves over the face of the earth.

Many people interpret God’s action as an act of judgment. Yes, it was judgment, but even more importantly, it was an act of amazing strategy. Why? Because the LORD decided to break up the population of the earth into small ethno-linguistic units. It was God’s decision to work with them as separate units, seeking to gain their obedience and loyalty one people group at a time. The confusion of languages was thus an important strategy in God’s missionary plan for humanity.

Another part of God’s strategy was the selection of an individual to spearhead His on-going activities. God sovereignly called Abram out of the very area of idolatry and of disobedience where the tower of Babel was being built. Then God unilaterally assigned a responsibility for Abram which is spelled out in Genesis chapter 12, verses 2 and 3. The LORD said, “I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you; I will make your name great,” (the next line is a purpose statement) so that “you will be a blessing.” And then the LORD continued in verse 3, “I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who curse you,” (and another purpose statement) so that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Do you recognize the determination in God’s statements and plans? God’s said, “I will” five times!

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Abram understood immediately that he was not selected for his own sake; nor was he to be blessed for his own sake. He was to be a channel of blessings for others. Abram, later Abraham, and his descendents were chosen for a specific reason — to be a witness and a testimony to all the other, recently separated, people groups of the earth. The descendents of Abram were to have a missionary function. They were to be "lights to the gentiles." They were to be world changers, to the glory and honor of God.

It was God’s plan to have a special relationship with one specific people group and through that special group to reach out to all the other ethnic groups on the planet. He promised to be their God and to govern them in a theocratic form of government. He said that He would dwell among them. He said that He would bless them so much that all the other people groups on earth would be drawn to them, at which time they would have opportunities to explain about the one true God.

All the key people in this prologue section of Genesis were given a special benefit to enable them to complete their responsibilities. Adam had the authority nd ability to steward the earth’s resources, Seth, conscience to guide the choices he made, Noah, the system of accountability and self-government. Abram and his descendents received the blessings of the Law. The Law was to be their guide for righteous behavior — a comprehensive set of instructions to help the Hebrews understand how to live in an intimate relationship with God and please Him in the midst of an evil world.

This step in the pattern can be added to the diagram:

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Unfortunately, it seems that the descendents of Abraham, like everyone who had been ahead of them, became careless and inclined to go their own way. They thoroughly enjoyed being blessed by God, but they were not excited about passing on those blessings to others. Their behavior became so corrupt that at times they were accused of exceeding the Gentiles in the practice of evil. Eventually, they rejected the ways of God and abandoned the responsibility which had been given to them. When the crisis became unacceptable, God set them aside. (There’s some information about this in Romans chapters 9, 10 and 11)

Once again God began a new movement with a key individual. In his letter to the Church in Galatia, Paul wrote that Christ came forth in the fulness of time. The Father sent His Son as a love gift to humanity. The Son came from heaven’s glories, lived upon the earth in a fleshly body for thirty-three years, died on a Roman cross, was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day. The Lord Jesus Christ made possible a restored relationship between God and mankind.

The next section of our diagram:

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We who are Jesus’ followers are His spiritual descendents. Like the descendents of Seth, we have the privilege to “call on the name of the LORD” and the responsibility to “proclaim the name of the LORD.” Jesus Himself commanded His followers to “go and make disciples of all ethnic groups.” We are to be salt and light in the circumstances in which we live. As the spiritual descendents of Jesus Christ, we are co-participants with Him in bringing about God’s purposes here upon the earth.

God provided a special benefit to those who aligned themselves with God in each of the eras of human history. Adam had the ability to manage things. Seth and his descendents were expected to exercise value judgments about what was good and what was evil. God provided to Noah and his descendents a system of self government whereby people could be accountable to each other. To Abram and his descendents God promised blessings and gave the Law so that the Gentiles would have a spiritual model to follow.

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And to the descendants of Jesus, God has provided the most important and powerful gift of all: His indwelling and authoritative Holy Spirit. The Spirit guides and empowers the followers of Jesus so that they can do what He wants us to do.

Like the descendents of Adam, Seth, Noah, and Abraham, we, as the offspring of our Lord Jesus Christ, represent God among the peoples of the earth. That raises the question, “Are we doing an adequate job?” Or, are we in danger of falling into habits that will make us unusable and displeasing to God, similar to the people of God in previous generations?

As the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is nothing to hold us back in our ability to carry out the task that God has assigned to us in our time era. That is, there is nothing to prevent us from getting on with the task of world evangelization except our willingness to obey.

God’s purposes and activities have been consistent since creation. He designed and called people to help Him in the protection and care of all life on earth, in both physical and spiritual ways. We should consider the opportunity to work with God as co-participants in His activities a great privilege. Just imagine, doing work that has eternal consequences in the name of our Heavenly Father!

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The record of human history reveals that even the people of God can fail to maintain their loyalty and trust in Him. In spite of the human record, God has sovereignly, faithfully, and persistently moved His creation toward the completion of the purposes which were determined in eternity past. We must keep in mind that we have a crucial role in completing Gods purposes. There is no information in Scripture to indicate that there is another future strategy beyond Holy Spirit indwelt believers. We must remain faithful in our service as the people of God until the return of our Lord Jesus..

The Final Picture of God’s Activity

God will accomplish His purposes. The question is whether we will help or hinder Him in His work. Here are some questions we need to ask ourselves.

1. Why has mankind consistently refused to cooperate with the living God?2. Why do so many believers become lax and careless about their spiritual

responsibilities?3. Will the same thing happen in our generation as has happened in

previous generations?

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4. If we claim to love the LORD and to be His followers, does He have our full obedience and cooperation?

The title for this lesson is “Mandate for the Nations.” A good definition of “mandate” is printed on page 37 of the Study Guide: “to live under mandate is to be entrusted with a task of lasting significance.” John 20:21 is an excellent way for us to understand that definition: Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” Jesus fulfilled His part of the divine mandate through His earthly ministry and death. His on-going mission is to complete the Father’s mandate purposes through the lives of His followers. I pray that He will find us faithful.

This Benediction Is a Suitable Conclusion to This Chapter:

“Now to Him who is able to establish you by (the) gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey Him — to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ.” Romans 16:25-27

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