Mission - a new idea? | Isaiah 11:1-12

Devotional

Day 1: All Authority in Every Place

Jesus stood on a Galilean hillside, resurrection scars visible, declaring: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The disciples knelt—some doubted, yet all heard His cosmic claim. This wasn’t a motivational speech but a coronation. His authority stretched beyond sickness, storms, and death itself. [46:21]

Matthew’s Gospel builds to this moment. Jesus isn’t another teacher or healer—He’s the cosmic King. When He says “all,” He means every inch of creation, every human heart. His rule cancels our excuses.

You face no situation outside His authority. What problem feels too entrenched, what relationship too broken, what fear too overwhelming for His reign? Where might you act today as if His authority were real?

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’”
(Matthew 28:18, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to show you one area where you’ve resisted His authority.
Challenge: Write down three specific places (home, work, relationships) and pray “Your will be done” over each.

Day 2: Disciples of All Nations

Eleven men heard “nations” and remembered Babel’s curse. Jesus transformed that word. “Make disciples” meant more than conversions—baptize, teach obedience, weave nations into His story. The command matched His authority: global because He owned every square mile. [51:21]

This wasn’t ethnic expansion but kingdom colonization. The disciples would later watch Ethiopians, Romans, and Greeks bow to Christ. Baptism erased tribal lines; obedience unified cultures under one Lord.

You’ve inherited their task. What people group feels “too far” for your prayers? What neighbor seems “too different” for your love? When did you last share Jesus with someone outside your culture?

“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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
(Matthew 28:19-20a, ESV)

Prayer: Confess any reluctance to engage those culturally distant from you.
Challenge: Research one unreached people group using Joshua Project’s website.

Day 3: From Babel to Baptism

Genesis 11: God scattered proud builders. Genesis 12: God promised to bless all nations through Abraham. Isaiah 11: a signal for the nations. Matthew 28: the fractured world healed as disciples multiply. The commission didn’t start with Jesus—it climaxed with Him. [55:06]

Mission isn’t God’s Plan B. From Eden’s wreckage to Pentecost’s fire, His aim never changed. Every prophet, king, and exile pointed to this: nations streaming to the Son.

You’re part of that ancient story. Do you reduce faith to personal comfort, or see your role in God’s global plan? What habits keep you from noticing His heart for the nations?

“In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire.”
(Isaiah 11:10, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for including your story in His ancient promise to Abraham.
Challenge: Read Genesis 11:1-9 and note how scattering led to future gathering.

Day 4: Cornflakes and Caviar Christianity

The sermon jarred us: mission isn’t spiritual caviar for elites. It’s daily bread. Like prayer or Bible reading, supporting missionaries should be ordinary—expected of all. Jesus’ authority demands it; His global family requires it. [01:01:08]

Some translate Scripture in jungles. Others fund them. Some pray at 6 a.m., others host weary missionaries. All fuel the same engine.

Does your giving/praying reflect mission’s normality? When did you last sacrifice a comfort to support global work? What makes you treat mission as optional?

“I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
(Genesis 12:3, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to make mission as routine as your morning coffee.
Challenge: Calculate what percentage of your income supports global missions.

Day 5: Your Stamp on the Commission

The disciples didn’t all “go”—some sent, some prayed, some funded. Matthew 28:18-20 isn’t a spectator sport. You hold a baton in history’s relay: someone sent you the Gospel; now you send others. [01:03:50]

Your stamp might look small—a monthly gift, a missionary’s name on your fridge, a student invited for dinner. But small stamps validate big journeys.

Who’s “your” missionary? When did you last encourage them? What excuse stops you from starting today?

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:20b, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to show you one practical step to take this week.
Challenge: Email a missionary today. Ask three questions about their work.

Sermon Summary

Jesus speaks with a decisive therefore. Matthew sets the scene with the risen Christ saying, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. The word therefore ties the whole thing together. Idea A is Jesus’ universal authority; idea B is the consequence: go and make disciples of all nations. The commission does not drop from the sky like a new corporate slogan. Matthew’s Gospel has been building to this climax where the identity of Jesus as the one with all authority now drives the mission to all peoples.

Matthew has already shown Jesus’ authority over teaching, sickness, demons, even death. Here the scope is not another item on a list. It is all authority, in heaven and on earth, that is, everywhere. The commission’s content matches the scope of his authority. If Jesus is Lord over all, the nations must be called to live under that Lordship. So the command majors on go, make disciples, with baptizing and teaching describing the shape of that disciple making. Discipleship is not light or partial. Jesus aims for taught, baptized, obedient disciples who take up the cross and follow him.

The context pushes this further. The great commission is not a CEO pep talk that starts and ends with a hype session and a handover. Matthew 28 is the culmination and fulfillment of Jesus’ mission in Matthew and of God’s mission through the whole Bible. From Genesis 3’s catastrophe to Genesis 12’s promises, God has been committing himself to bless the nations through Abraham’s line. Israel’s history, the prophets’ hope, and images like Isaiah 11’s nations streaming into God’s peace all keep saying the same thing. When Jesus, after resurrection, says that all the Law and the Prophets are fulfilled in him, the move to all nations is not a surprise. It is exactly where the story was always going.

That logic lands in ordinary life. If the risen Lord holds all authority and has sent his people to make disciples of all nations, involvement in world mission is not caviar and oysters for elite Christians. It is cornflakes and toast. It will look different for each disciple: going, sending, translating, praying, giving, caring, starting a conversation, or simply getting to know a missionary and praying through their notes. But because the commission flows from Jesus’ authority and God’s long plan for the nations, the next step into missions belongs in the normal Christian day.

Key Takeaways

1. All authority drives all nations [50:02] Jesus’ authority is not regional or seasonal. It is total, in heaven and on earth, so the scope of the commission must be global. The nations belong in the plan because the Lordship of Christ reaches them. Mission expands to match the measure of his reign. [50:02]
2. Therefore is mission’s engine [46:21] The therefore binds identity to action. Idea A, Christ’s all authority, produces Idea B, go and make disciples. Mission is not built on guilt or hype but on who Jesus is right now. Where his authority is confessed, the therefore must move feet and mouths. [46:21]
3. Discipleship is deep, not light [53:49] Jesus does not settle for light disciples. The commission aims at baptized, taught, obedient lives that carry a cross rather than wear a label. Real disciple making takes time, truth, and embodied care, because Jesus claims the whole person, not just a decision. [53:49]
4. Mission is ordinary Christian life [01:02:22] Mission is cornflakes and toast, not caviar and oysters. Because the commission flows from Christ’s authority and the Bible’s long story, ordinary Christians take ordinary steps: pray, give, host, translate, send, go, encourage. The next faithful step is the right size for today. [62:22]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[20:49] - Unichurch and student crowd
[21:41] - God at work worldwide
[23:52] - Heart language and translation
[26:14] - Get to know a missionary
[39:58] - Prayer for the nations
[40:58] - Why send missionaries?
[41:53] - The Great Commission read aloud
[43:01] - Not a CEO pep talk
[45:49] - Observation one: Logic, therefore
[51:00] - Observation two: Content, make disciples
[54:14] - Observation three: Context, big story
[55:29] - From Genesis 12 to Isaiah 11
[61:08] - Mission as cornflakes and toast
[65:30] - Closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV)
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.”

Observation questions

What two ideas does the word “therefore” connect in Matthew 28:18–20, and how does this shape the purpose of the Great Commission? [46:21]
How does Jesus’ authority in Matthew 28:18 differ from the examples of His authority earlier in Matthew’s Gospel (e.g., over sickness, demons, or death)? [50:02]
According to the sermon, how does the Great Commission fulfill God’s promises in Genesis 12 and Isaiah 11? [55:29]
What practical examples were given to describe how mission can be part of “ordinary Christian life”? [01:02:22]

Interpretation questions

Why is it significant that Jesus’ authority in Matthew 28:18 is described as “all authority in heaven and on earth” rather than limited to specific areas? How does this redefine the scope of mission?
The sermon argues that discipleship is “deep, not light.” What might “light discipleship” look like, and how does baptizing and teaching counter that? [53:49]
How does the Old Testament storyline (Genesis 3 to Isaiah 11) prepare us to see the Great Commission as a fulfillment rather than a new idea?
Why might people view mission as “caviar and oysters” (elite) instead of “cornflakes and toast” (ordinary), and how does Jesus’ authority correct this? [01:02:22]

Application questions

Jesus’ authority over “all nations” means every person and culture belongs in His mission. Who in your life or community might need to hear about His Lordship, and what is one step you could take to engage them this week?
Mission is described as “cornflakes and toast”—ordinary, daily faithfulness. What is one small, practical way you could participate in global mission (e.g., praying, giving, encouraging a missionary) that fits into your current routine? [26:14]
Discipleship involves teaching obedience to “all” Jesus commanded. Is there an area of your life where you’ve settled for “light” obedience instead of wholehearted surrender? How could you pursue growth in that area?
The sermon challenges us to “take the next faithful step” in mission, whether big or small. What is one step you feel prompted to take after reflecting on Jesus’ authority and God’s heart for the nations?
How could your small group support one another in making mission a normal part of Christian life? What shared practices or accountability could help?

Sermon Clips

``And to drive home the point, where is this authority? It's in heaven and earth. Well, there's nowhere else. That's everywhere has been given to me. See, this is the climax of Matthew's identification of Jesus. As he writes his book about the life and ministry of Jesus, Matthew has been building building the answer to this question, who is Jesus? And now he's the ultimate answer. He is the one who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. That is everywhere. All authority in all places. That's idea a. That's the declaration. [00:49:52] (51 seconds)

But here in verse 18 in chapter 28, we're not just given another entry on the list. You know, he had five areas in which he was authority, and now he has six. No. No. This authority that Jesus has here isn't just another skill on an already impressive list. It's a decisive it's a it's an all encompassing declaration of his authority. See what Jesus says? He says, all authority, not lots of authority, not a fair bit of authority, not even a very impressive amount of authority. No. No. But all authority. [00:49:08] (44 seconds)

If he is the one with all authority, a, then the logical response, b, is to go and tell people about him so that they, like the disciples, can live under his authority. But note the scope of the commission. Whereas throughout Matthew's gospel, we've seen individuals or or families or even crowds coming to to the disciples, here it is nations. And not just a nation, not just a couple of nations, but there it is again, nations. Just as there is universal scope to the authority of Jesus, all authority, so there is to the commission. All authority means to all nations. [00:51:22] (59 seconds)

I'd like to begin by giving you a question to think about. Some of you might have no answer to this question. That's that's okay. Others might be able to answer it quickly. That that's good as well. The question is this. If someone said to you, why do Christians send missionaries? Where in the bible does it say to do that? Where would you go? What is your go to verse to explain why we as Christians send missionaries? [00:40:52] (40 seconds)

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Mission - a new idea? | Isaiah 11:1-12 | 17 May 2026 Sunday AM