Promises of Jesus
A Five Minute Devotional
The video shown below is the devotional from February 23rd, 2021. The full text of the devotional follows the video.
WELCOME
Good morning! My name is Gary Wiram and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to Today’s Good News!
INTRODUCTION
Currently, we’re studying the Promises of Jesus. Today, we get to look at the promise contained in Matthew 28:20. It’s a promise that provides Jesus’ Disciples the ability to carry out the final instructions He gave them. Before diving into that, I want to take a quick poll that I think will shed some light on the importance of following instructions.
How many of you have purchased an item that required assembly and it came with assembly instructions? Most of you, I thought so.
How many of you have attempted to assemble an item like this without reading the instructions? Yes, I knew I wasn’t alone in this.
And, how many of you have had to disassemble such an item and start all over after reading the instructions which you failed to do in the first place? Isn’t it crazy how we ignore the instructions, the one thing that can enable us to do the assembly correctly, until we’ve proven that we can’t do it on our own? Keep this in mind as we take a look at today’s Scripture verse, Matthew 28:20.
THE GREAT COMMISSION
To begin understanding this verse, it’s necessary to look at it in context. It is the last verse in the last section of Matthew’s gospel. That section, Matthew 28:16-20, is widely known as The Great Commission. It says:
“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;’ and He ends with today’s verse, ‘lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”
GREATLY IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS
In preparing for this teaching, I was reminded of the crucial importance of Chapter 28. Though it ends with what we’re looking at today, The Great Commission, it begins with The Resurrection.
Nothing could be more important to Christians. As we’re told in 1 Corinthians 15:13-19,
… if Christ is not risen … we are of all men the most pitiable.
But Christ is risen.
With that and its importance understood, it seems pretty obvious that the final instructions he gave His Disciples are greatly important too. So let’s take a closer look at His Great Commission and the Promise it contains.
First of all, the disciples were sent to a specific place, at an appointed time, for a specific purpose, to meet with the resurrected Jesus. This was not just a fluke meeting. Obviously, the Lord did this intentionally, to give His disciples their final marching orders.
“But”, we’re told, “some doubted.” Scripture doesn’t tell us what they doubted, going into this meeting. However, it becomes understandable why they might have doubts about their ability to carry out the instructions Jesus gave them in the meeting. They were told:
Go … make disciples of all nations. Not be prepared when they come to you.
Not just let them know about, make disciples.
Baptizing. An open and public action, not private.
In the name of … The Trinity, requiring deep understanding, not just scratching the surface.
Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you … Walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
HUMAN DOUBT
The disciples probably doubted if doing all this was humanly possible. Since they had witnessed Jesus’ resurrection and He had told them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” they probably had little doubt that Jesus could do this divinely. But they were human, not divine. He had the authority, not them. Just the same, this wasn’t man-made liturgy, it was commanded by the Lord. So what were they to do?
DIVINE PROMISE
Well, that is where Jesus’ final promise to them comes in, “… lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” And, if He would be with them, His authority would be with them too. He assured them that they wouldn’t have to try to “Go” on their own. He, the resurrected Jesus, would be with them, not just at the beginning, not occasionally, but “always”, now and “even to the end of the age.”
It’s important for us to recognize that this precious promise reaches down the centuries, touching each of us, His children. Jesus said He would never leave us nor forsake us, no matter what situation we find ourselves in – no matter what difficult life-circumstances we face. All authority has been placed under His control, and He says to us with that authority – “Lo, I am with You, always.”
And THAT is Today’s Good News!
