The Appearance and Commission in Galilee

Mark 16:16-20 Gospel of Mark

In "The Appearance and Commission in Galilee," Pastor Albert N. Martin expounds Matthew 28:16-20, focusing on Christ's post-resurrection appearance and the Great Commission. He emphasizes that the mandate to make disciples of all nations is grounded in Christ's unlimited cosmic authority, not human need or the world's condition. Martin details the prescribed duties of baptizing and teaching obedience to all Christ commanded, concluding with the promise of Christ's constant presence until the end of the age. He applies this to motivate believers to passionate evangelism and discipleship, challenging them to prioritize Christ's mission over worldly ambitions.

2 illustrations in this sermon

The Mandate of the Risen Christ: Preface of Cosmic Authority

compare analogy

Concert Hall Spotlight

The point: Undertake the duties of the mandate by first gazing at Christ's person and His unlimited cosmic authority, not by focusing on human need or worldly conditions.

Martin uses the analogy of a concert hall where house lights dim and a single spotlight falls on a soloist to illustrate how Christ focuses all attention on His glorious person and authority before giving the mandate, ensuring His followers undertake duties in His vision alone.

And having fixed your eyes upon me as the one who has received, as the reward of his sufferings, unlimited cosmic authority in that vision. And in that vision alone are you to undertake the duties that I now to lay upon you. And as I was wrestling with how to illustrate this for some reason, and I don't know why, my mind thought of the situation that exists in a large concert hall, say Avery Fisher Hall in New York or the Metropolitan Opera House. And before curtains...

32:10 - 32:47 Read in full sermon

The Mandate of the Risen Christ: Prescribed Duties - Supplemental Tasks (Teaching)

person anecdote

Assemblies of God Rapture Illustration

The point: The great task of the church is not to activate, entertain, or placate members, but to teach them to observe all things Christ commanded, with the Word of God central.

Martin recounts a Wall Street Journal article describing an Assemblies of God church with elaborate special effects, including a preacher being 'whisked out of his pulpit' to illustrate the rapture. He uses this as a negative example of what the church's task is NOT, contrasting it with the true task of teaching obedience to God's Word.

One of the largest if not the largest growing denomination in the US the Assemblies of God and it was like reading a horror story. One Assemblies of God church with an auditorium seating some 10,000 I believe it said in which they have a half a million dollars worth of special props for special effects. And when the reporter was present in order to illustrate the rapture suddenly the lights dimmed and the focus was on the preacher and Peter Pan like he was whisked out of his pulpit out of sight. I didn't make this up.

56:29 - 57:07 Read in full sermon

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