Jesus' Last Words Are Our First Work

Matthew 28 puts Jesus on the mountain with his disciples, and Jesus begins with who he is before he ever tells them what to do. “All authority in heaven and on earth” belongs to him, because the King does not need anyone else to say who he is. He just is. Jesus changes people before he sends them, and the believer cannot introduce people to a Savior that is not already personally known.

The Great Commission becomes more than a program or a plan. Jesus’ last words become the believer’s first work. The call to make disciples is not a work of salvation, but an act of worship flowing out of a relationship that has already been made new. Grace saves, the Holy Spirit gives life, and then obedience begins to move outward toward others.

The story of Chris McGee shows what that looks like in real life. Chris was not famous, not a missionary, not even a pastor at the time. Chris was just faithful. Carl’s Jr. biscuits and gravy, time with younger guys, steady friendship, and simple gospel investment became disciple making before the word was even understood.

Jesus used that faithful relationship to help turn knowledge about Jesus into knowing Jesus. A life can grow up around church, know the songs, know the stories, and still not know him. The image of “building below the waterline” shows the difference. What sits on top may look fine, but without depth beneath the surface, the whole thing capsizes.

Second Corinthians 5 says that anyone in Christ is a new creation. Jesus does not simply improve a life. Jesus gives a new heart, brings the spiritually dead into new life, and moves a person from darkness into light. Before he sends disciples, he saves them.

Psalm 73 gives the shape of the life that follows: “Whom have I in heaven but you?” The disciple learns to know God, love God, and obey God. Obedience is not a ditch on the side of the road. Obedience is the road itself, the route that keeps the disciple moving toward God’s calling.

First Thessalonians 2:8 shows that disciple making shares not only the gospel of God, but also life itself. People rarely need one more lecture. People need an invitation to walk with someone who loves Jesus and is willing to pass the baton.

Jesus sends every disciple to make disciples. The baton was passed through Chris, through family, through church, through ordinary faithfulness, and through stories like Maria hearing the gospel and saying yes to Jesus. The call now remains open: receive Christ, take the next step, and ask God for the person in front of the disciple.

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [47:09] - Joy in Returning to Highland Heights
• [48:12] - Matthew 28 as Home Base
• [49:08] - Every Christian Has a Story
• [50:46] - Chris McGee’s Faithful Investment
• [52:29] - Jesus’ Final Words to His Disciples
• [53:51] - Jesus Changes Before He Sends
• [56:05] - Knowing About Jesus Versus Knowing Jesus
• [57:14] - Building Below the Waterline
• [60:18] - Saved Before Sent
• [61:05] - Jesus Grows Disciples Through Relationships
• [62:59] - Know God, Love God, Obey God
• [66:17] - Sharing the Gospel and a Life
• [71:29] - Every Disciple Makes Disciples
• [75:37] - Maria’s Story and Saying Yes

1. In Matthew 28:18-20, what does Jesus say about his authority, and what actions does he then give to his disciples? [52:29]
2. What are some ordinary things that became part of disciple-making in the relationship with Chris McGee? [56:16]
3. In the picture of “building below the waterline,” what problem shows up when there is nothing underneath the surface? [57:14]
4. According to 1 Thessalonians 2:8, what two things was Paul ready to share with people? [01:06:17]

1. Jesus begins the Great Commission with his authority before giving a command. Why does that matter for the way a believer thinks about obedience and mission? [53:51]
2. A person can know church language, Bible stories, and gospel facts and still not truly know Jesus. What is the difference between those two kinds of knowing? [01:01:00]
3. Second Corinthians 5:17 says that anyone in Christ is a new creation. How is that different from the idea that Jesus only improves a person’s life? [59:30]
4. Paul says he shared not only the gospel of God but also his own self. Why is shared life often more fruitful than giving people one more lecture? [01:07:23]

1. Jesus changes people before he sends them. Where does life with Christ feel most personal and real right now, and where might faith have become more like information than relationship? [01:00:18]
2. “Do you know about Jesus?” is not the same question as “Do you know him?” What helps answer that honestly in a person’s own life? What fruit, desires, or changes might show that the relationship is real? [01:01:05]
3. Faithfulness often looks ordinary. Who is one person already in front of you—a child, friend, coworker, neighbor, or younger believer—that you could begin to invest in with simple consistency? What might that look like this week? [01:15:24]
4. Disciple-making shares a life, not just words. What part of life could be opened up to someone else right now: a meal, a regular conversation, time in Scripture, prayer, or simply being present? [01:06:31]
5. Psalm 73 says, “Whom have I in heaven but you?” What competes most strongly for the heart’s desire these days, and how can love for God be strengthened in a practical way? [01:03:42]
6. Obedience is not a ditch on the side of the road but the road itself. What is one clear next step of obedience that has been easy to delay, and what would it look like to take that step now? [01:05:23]
7. The baton is meant to be passed. Who first helped carry the gospel into your life, and how might gratitude for that person stir a willingness to become that kind of person for someone else? [01:13:47]