Saved + Sent • 04.20.25

Nick Lees   -   April 20, 2025

Saved + Sent

Matthew 28:1-20

Obeying Jesus’ command to go and make disciples

1. Come and see that Jesus raised from the dead
2. Beware the competing messages to go and tell
3. Embrace the mission of making disciples

What a sweet morning of worship! Our conviction as Christians is that Jesus Christ is worthy of our praise and honor. He has gone to great lengths to save us, and we want to respond with lives that glorify him!

As I mentioned earlier, our theme for this weekend has been Saved + Sent. It captures so beautifully the hope of our salvation in Jesus Christ coupled with his clear command to us to go and make disciples of all nations. Today, we are going to be studying Matthew 28 to focus on the reality of being sent by our Savior into this world as his ambassadors.

Ushers + Bibles (Matthew 28; page 992)

Since we’re jumping into a passage just for Easter Sunday, I want to give you a little context to what we’re about to study. The book we are in is the Gospel of Matthew, which as you might expect, was written by one of Jesus’ followers whose name was… Matthew. He has written a detailed account of the life and ministry of Jesus with a particular emphasis on showing how Jesus is the Messiah Israel had been waiting for. What we are reading today is the very last chapter of his writing, which is focused on Jesus’ resurrection and the events closely following it. Matthew is going to reveal to us the responses of many to seeing the resurrected Lord, as well as Jesus’ final command to his disciples before he ascended into heaven.

My goal for our time together is to help us in…

Obeying Jesus’ command to go and make disciples

In order to accomplish this, I will take us on a journey through Matthew 28 where we will observe Jesus’ resurrection and the competing messages that have been spread throughout history since that time, but it will all be building towards our final point and ultimate objective of embracing the mission to make disciples. No matter where you are at in your faith journey, I hope you will consider what is being shared today from the Word of God.

As we read this text, I want to encourage you to remember that Jesus had just two days prior been unjustly arrested, brutally beaten and then crucified before the people’s eyes. Imagine being one of those first Christians who had been following Jesus and witnessing such an ending to his life… They were understandably shaken up and demoralized as time passed from Friday into Saturday and then the dawn began on Sunday… But listen to what happens next…

Matthew 28:1–10 (ESV)

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. ² And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. ⁴ And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. ⁵ But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” ⁸ So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Keep your Bibles open to this passage, because we will continue to work through it this morning.

Who can tell me – what did Sunday bring? The resurrection of Jesus Christ! The Son of God was successful in his sacrifice on the Cross. His willing death in our place was satisfactory to pay the price for our sins and he raised from the grave in victory over sin and death. This is exactly what we heard would happen last Sunday when we studied Isaiah 53.

Death is not the final word for God’s Servant. Out of the anguish of bearing God’s wrath for our sin, he makes many to be accounted righteous. He is victorious over sin and death and shares eternal life with those he saves. This is the hope we profess as Christians and it is tied back to this event on Resurrection Sunday so many years ago, when the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid… He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.”

Our first step in obeying Jesus’ command to go and make disciples is to…

1. Come and see that Jesus raised from the dead

Christianity is not a faith without evidence. No one is asking you to believe something that has been made up or is a fairytale! There is an astonishing amount of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Let’s start off by listing the six arguments that Matthew provides for the truth of the resurrection. These arguments were widely deployed in the early church and down the centuries. 

• The female witnesses (28:1–10)
• The empty tomb (28:2–6)
• The resurrection appearances (28:9, 16–20)
• The transformed lives (28:8–9, 17)
• The fulfilled predictions (28:6)
• Worldwide mission (28:18–20)

Starting with the female witnesses – Matthew records that the two Marys were the first people to arrive at the tomb on Sunday. In fact, they were the first people whom Jesus appeared to after His resurrection as well. They were the first eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Christ!

What’s incredibly important to understand is the cultural context of this claim. In that culture, the testimony of women was disregarded. It had no legal value. The Jews simply did not consider women to be reliable witnesses! So, the fact that Jesus chose to appear to women was an incredible statement by him. And it’s a statement that none of the Jewish authors of the Gospels would have willingly made up. If they wanted to gain credibility in the eyes of their fellow Jews, then they would have said that men were the first to witness Jesus’ resurrection. But it was not so, and they were faithful to record the details exactly as it happened. Jesus gave these women a special place of honor in history.

Then there is the reality of the empty tomb. There is no denying that the body is gone. This is exactly what the Jewish religious leaders had feared would happen and was the very reason they had posted a guard at the tomb. They assumed the disciples might try to steal the body. While they never did such a thing, the fact that the tomb was empty was undeniable. The guards had to report the body was missing and the religious bribed bribed them to lie about why it was gone. The disciples would have gained nothing by stealing the body, nor could they have done so with the guard posted. If anyone else had the body, they would have simply presented it to shut down the disciples’ claim of the resurrection. In fact, the disciple’s testimony is that Jesus is raised from the dead, which would be foolish to say and believe if they knew his body had been stolen and there would be no way to prove his resurrection!

Which leads to the third strand of evidence of the resurrection. Jesus did appear after his death to many people. In the segment we read today, he appeared to the women, however if we were to keep reading, we would see that he later appears to many of the disciples when he gives them the Great Commission. If you were to study the other Gospel accounts, you would find that on the first day of Jesus’ resurrection he appeared to several different groups of people – the women, two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Simon Peter, and to the gathered disciples who were hiding from the Jews. The Apostle Paul, who came to faith in Jesus later, would testify the following:

1 Corinthians 15:3–8 (ESV)

³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

There is no way for them to falsify this many eyewitness testimonies. To do so would be foolish, because, if it were false, it would be easy to unravel. The testimony of so many eyewitnesses is only helpful if the resurrection is a reality! And it is!

Not only do you have these eyewitnesses, but there also is powerful evidence in the transformed lives of the disciples and men like James and Paul, who were unbelievers before witnessing the resurrected Christ. In the hours following Jesus’ death, the disciples were frightened and in hiding. They feared the Jews coming to arrest and kill them too.

Do you know what happens after the resurrection? As they grow in their understanding of what Jesus has done the disciples are filled with incredible courage and boldness by God. The book of Acts records how God empowered the disciples by His Spirit to carry out the mission of reaching the ends of the earth with the Good News of salvation through Jesus. What a change from scared, scattered, and skeptical men into the most powerful missionary force the world has ever known!

Now they are publicly going to the temple to proclaim the message of Jesus. Performing miracles in his name! They are standing toe to toe with the Jewish religious leaders and not backing down. They would rather obey God than man! How could these men change in such a short amount of time? The only answer is the reality of the resurrection! They are emboldened by the reality of the resurrection and the empowerment of God the Holy Spirit.

The same could be said for Jesus’ brother, James, who previously did not believe Jesus was the Messiah, but after witnessing the resurrected Christ he believed and ultimately became the leader of the church in Jerusalem. Or Paul, who was a Pharisee known for his incredible persecution of Christians, until he encountered the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus. He too believed in Christ and his entire life was transformed by the reality of the resurrection.

What’s fascinating is if you know the testimony of these disciples, the majority of them would end up dying for their faith. You have to ask yourself – why in the world would these men die for a lie?! Their zeal and willingness to go to their deaths only make sense if Jesus rose from the dead as he promised he would do.

Which brings us to our 5^th strand of evidence. Jesus fulfilled his promise. He had foretold that he would be crucified, buried, and raised on the 3^rd day. All of this has happened just as he had said. Even the Jewish religious leaders were aware of these claims, that’s why they posted the guard! This is yet another strand of evidence that Jesus is the Son of God who rose from the dead. It happened exactly as Jesus said it would… He kept his word.

Finally, the verses that close out Matthew’s Gospel, 16-20, the “Great Commission” testify to the reality of the resurrection. The fact is that the resurrected Jesus gave his followers a world-wide mission that is still being carried out to this day. That mission would never have been given if Christ had not raised from the dead. That mission would not have become the world-shaping movement that it is today if Christ had not raised from the dead. Why? Because the disciples would not have been transformed by the Holy Spirit. They would not have died for a lie. There would have been no propagation of this message, and it would have died out. The church would not have come into existence, and it certainly would not be the world-wide family of God that it is today. But the reality of the resurrection is what drives Christianity. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we have a message of hope that must be shared with the world. Victory over sin and death is possible in Christ!

So, is it true? Did the resurrection really happen? Yes, it is true. It really did happen.

Which is why we have the call to:

1. Come and see that Jesus raised from the dead

If you’re interested in hearing some other information about the Case for the Resurrection, I would point out to you our latest Firm Faith Podcast on this topic, as well as any of these books:

• The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
• The Case for Easter by Lee Strobel
• The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary R Habermas and Michael R Licona

At the end of the day, it is imperative for everyone, everywhere to believe in the resurrected Christ. His miraculous resurrection is proof that He is who He claimed to be and that He accomplished what He came to do – the salvation of sinners like you and me! Our necessary response is to believe in Him and then live for him!

Let’s return to the text and see what happens next. I’m going to restart at verse 5, and as I read this, I want you to listen carefully for the themes of “come & see” and “go & tell”.

Matthew 28:5–15 (ESV)

⁵ But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” ⁸ So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

¹¹ While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. ¹² And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers ¹³ and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ ¹⁴ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

I love how the Scriptures use repetition to draw our attention to important details! The angel invited the women to come and see that Jesus was not in the tomb. Then he told them to go and tell Jesus’ disciples about his resurrection! Then they are told to behold (lit. see) that Jesus is going to Galilee, which is where they needed to go to see him. So, they ran with fear and great joy to tell the disciples! And then they had the opportunity to see Jesus! And what did he tell them? “Go and tell…”  The expectation/command from the angel and Jesus is to “go and tell” about Jesus’ resurrection.

What happens next in verse 11 is fascinating, especially how Matthew words it… “While they were going, behold!” Our attention is drawn to another set of interactions that results in the soldiers being commanded to “go and tell” a competing message… that the disciples had stolen Jesus’ body! Matthew then adds the detail that this competing message was still being spread during his lifetime…

If you are going to get to the place where you are willing to obey Jesus’ command to go and make disciples, you must…

2. Beware the competing messages to go and tell

Beware means to be cautious or alert to the dangers of something… I am trying to give everyone here today a warning to heed! There are competing messages being spread about Jesus, even to this day! This was not limited to Jesus’ lifetime or Matthew’s lifetime; there are still competing messages in our lifetime (and so it will continue until Jesus returns and silences the lies once and for all)!

What are these messages? Stated simply:

1. Go and tell the truth – that Jesus has risen
2. Go and tell a lie – that Jesus has not risen

This lie began with the Jewish religious leaders and the soldiers they paid off, but it has spread through many peoples and developed many variations over the course of time. Variations include trying to deny the historical Jesus (he was never a person who existed), claiming that Jesus never really died (he only fainted/passed out – aka the swoon theory) and therefore has not risen, or broader lies such as denying the deity of Jesus (he’s just a man who could not pay for our sins), or labeling him as simply a moral/good teacher, or claiming that he is just one of many paths to God (religious pluralism – very popular in our day).

The problem with these lies is that they are confronted and disproven either by the very teachings of the Bible, the many eyewitnesses who saw and later died for the resurrected Christ, the testimonies of secular historians such as Josephus or Tacticus, or the growing amount of archaeological and scientific evidence validating the Bible’s truth claims! As I mentioned earlier, there is an incredible amount of evidence supporting the truthfulness of the resurrection of Jesus. However, that hasn’t stopped the lies from gaining a massive following in our world. We know that Christians are a minority in comparison to the amount of people who believe a lie about Jesus and his resurrection.

Since you are here today, can I ask you – what do you believe about Jesus? Which message are you believing and spreading?

If you believe a lie about Jesus, I would like to encourage you to reconsider what you’ve been taught. Please take the time to examine the evidence for the resurrection. Perhaps that can simply be reading one of the Lee Strobel books I shared earlier. What do you have to lose by doing a deeper investigation into these claims? I can tell you that you have everything to gain if they are true and Jesus is the Son of God who rose from the dead for the forgiveness of our sins and salvation of our souls. It’s worth the time to investigate it.

If you believe the truth about Jesus, can I ask you – are you “going and telling” that truth to others? *pause* (repeat)

Frankly, just being distracted from telling the truth or even reluctant to tell it is enough for the devil to be satisfied… He doesn’t necessarily need to get Christians to propagate a lie if he can neutralize your eagerness to tell the truth… *pause*

And if we really wanted to press this further, we could make the observation that being apathetic about telling others about Jesus is propagating another type of lie – that it is possible to be a disciple who does not make disciples!

You see, while we have only covered verses 1-15 of Matthew 28 which are predominantly about the historical event of Jesus’ resurrection and the message to “go and tell” the disciples about it, what comes next in the text is Jesus’ command for his disciples to take this message and much more to the entire world! Let’s finish reading the chapter now:

Matthew 28:16–20 (ESV)

¹⁶ Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷ And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. ¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

These words capture Jesus’ final instruction to his disciples before he ascended to heaven. This “Great Commission”, as it is known, details what followers of Christ are to be doing until he returns. And this is where I want to spend the rest of our time together, it is where the rubber meets the road in obeying Jesus’ command to go and make disciples. Our call is to…

3. Embrace the mission of making disciples

If you have been SAVED by Jesus, then you have also been SENT by him into the world as his ambassador. This is YOUR mission – to make disciples. When I say mission, I mean your calling in life; the thing you are to be about, no matter what else is going on in your life.

This may seem like a silly example, but I imagine many of us have seen at least one of the Mission Impossible movies. If you have, you know that nothing can stop Ethan Hunt from accomplishing his mission. He overcomes incredible obstacles and enemies to do whatever he has been tasked to accomplish, usually saving the world from the latest threat. This same determination and commitment are necessary from Christians to the mission that Jesus has given us to make disciples.

You must realize that this command from Jesus is not limited to the first followers of Christ. This is the mission for ALL Christians through the ages! The way God has chosen to spread the Good News of salvation across the earth is through His people faithfully going to the nations to proclaim it and then teach those who believe how to live it out in their daily lives. There is no plan B! God wants you to open your mouth and tell people about life in Jesus. And when they turn from their sin and believe in him, he wants them to be baptized and dedicate their lives to learning what he has taught. As I spoke about on Friday night, when one trusts in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, there is a radical reorientation of their life! Where before they lived for themselves, now they live for Christ and want to know what pleases Christ!

Can you imagine how incredible it would be to be used by God to reach another soul for Christ? What if your child, your neighbor, your co-worker or friend came to saving faith in Jesus because God used your faithfulness to open your mouth and tell them about him?

I hope you would say, “That would be amazing!” Then why would you hesitate to embrace the mission he’s given you? I want to encourage you to embrace this mission today! This week! This month! This year!

The beauty of this Great Commission is that Jesus promises to use his authority and presence to equip us for the task. We are sent in Jesus’ authority (v18) – meaning we can have certainty that there will be success, he will save his people. And we are sent with Jesus’ abiding presence (v20) – meaning we are not alone in this intimidating calling! I think that gives such tremendous hope to the effectiveness of the mission.

Now, you need to hear this, the Bible knows nothing of a Christian who is not a disciple-maker. Making disciples is an expected fruit of following Jesus! To be apathetic or rebellious towards this command from our LORD is very concerning – which is why we speak about it so often at Harvest.

So many who call themselves Christians act like this mission is optional. They would rather spend their lives doing other, easier things. Making disciples is not easy. It requires us to share life with others. It requires us to be students of the Word and doers of the Word as well. You cannot lead someone into a vibrant, life-giving relationship with Jesus if you don’t have one yourself. And I think that is why so many struggle to be purposeful disciplers.

Can I ask you – how is your walk with Jesus going? Are you intentionally pursuing him each day in the Word and prayer?

These are the primary means he has given us for learning from him and pouring our heart out to him. I want to encourage you to prioritize time with the Lord, so that he can continue to shape your own life and walk with him! It’s hard to grow into maturity if you’re not regularly sitting under the truth of God’s Word.

• Mention the Bible reading plan
• Mention Bible study resources (LifeChange series; Precepts studies)
• Share my own habit of reading with the Scripture journals to read + write + pray

Assuming you are walking with Jesus, I want to challenge you to not keep that growth to yourself. Jesus has told us that it is an obedience issue to be meeting with others to help them know and follow Christ. Do you view it that way? “It is sinful for me to not make disciples! I am disobeying my Lord if I ignore his command.”

If you have been SAVED by Jesus, then you have been SENT by Jesus and you are more than capable of telling others about him and how to follow him. After all, you are sharing what he has done for you and what he has taught you in his word. You’re speaking from personal experience! And remember, Jesus promises that he is with you! You are not alone in this mission!

Can you imagine if every single church member at Harvest made it their goal to disciple one other person this year? That would be 121 people receiving teaching on how to follow Jesus Christ. Then imagine that next year, in 2026, those original 121 plus their disciples went on to make disciples – now we’re at 242 people receiving teaching on how to follow Christ. Take that out one more year to 2027 and now we’re at 484 people! Can you see how Jesus’ plan to make disciples works? It is exponential growth, IF we are faithful to do our part! In just a few years, hundreds of people could be reached with the Gospel and lives transformed. Are we really going to let our excuses of “it’s too hard” or “I’m just too busy” keep us from obeying God on this matter? Please tell me that thought makes you sick this morning! How much sweeter would it be to forsake our lame excuses and commit to obeying our Savior and Lord!

For some of you, you have discipleship opportunities in your own home – with your kiddos or your spouse. Please do not overlook those who are closest to you. Fathers, we especially have accountability before the Lord for how we disciple our families! Moms, you’re an important part of that process too.

For all of us, it simply means being intentional to develop a relationship with Jesus at the center of it. I want to give us a framework for thinking about this. I’m benefiting from Pastor Mark Dever on this framework. Discipleship involves:

• Initiation
  • You’ve got to take the first step. Be intentional to invite someone into discipleship.
  • Be on the lookout for those who want help! Beware those who are not interested in changing.
  • Consider: This may be an unbeliever who you’re seeking to evangelize first, then, if they repent and believe, lead to growing obedience to Jesus.
• Relationship
  • Building relationships in our day and age means being available for one another. We live in a “busy” world where no one has time for anyone or anything. Except what you value. You’ll make time for that. So, make time for discipleship relationships.
  • Invite them into your life, your home, your ups and downs. Share meals together. Text one another during the week. Open the door for rebuke/encouragement/sharing of truth. Allow these things to become a part of your normal life rhythms.
• Teaching
  • Teach what Jesus taught! Study his Word together.
  • Work through life situations according to what he has said. The Bible is intensely practical!
  • This doesn’t happen haphazardly. You must be intentional! Be willing to rebuke and correct as needed.
  • Teach by modeling – show them what it looks like to trust in and follow Jesus!
• Commitment
  • Discipleship is a process. It’s not going to happen over-night. It’s not going to happen only in the easy moments or seasons of life. You’ve got to be committed through thick and thin.
  • This isn’t just a commitment of time. It also requires a commitment of study of the Word, of prayer for one another, of an investment of love for one another.

I love this kind of relational discipleship – living life together. I want to commend it to you. And I know that it is very easy to be busy with a million other things. Please do not let “good things” keep you from doing the “main thing” that God has called you to do.

Now, I know that I need to wrap things up this morning. I want to end with a few final exhortations:

• For those who do not believe in Jesus – the call for you today is to turn from your sin and believe in the resurrected Christ for salvation. I would love to talk with you further about that after the service if you have questions/objections.
• For those who do believe but have not been baptized as a believer – the call for you is to obey your Lord and publicly profess your faith in him.
  • Our next baptism services are scheduled for Sunday, May 18^th. If you’d like to take that step of obedience, please email/call the church and we’ll walk you through the next steps.
• For those who are not making disciples – the call for you is to confess and turn from your disobedience. Take time this week to prayerfully consider whom you should invest in and talk with them before the month is over!
• For those who are faithfully obeying the mission – I want to encourage you to endure until the end; persevere in the faith; continue to grow up into maturity as you help others to do the same

Dismiss parents to get their kids from downstairs so they can join us for the closing worship set.

Pray