My Commission
Text: Mark 16:15-16; Matthew 28:19
Series: Restoration Sermons
Date:
Speaker: Ed Rangel
Location: Waupaca Church of Christ
Bible Version: NASB 1995
Sermon Type: Expository
Learning Objectives
By the close of this lesson the hearer should be able to:
- Identify the authority under which a gospel preacher labors.
- See that the preacher represents the whole of Christianity, not a sect, party, or creed.
- Recognize that love for souls, not gain or fame, is the true motive for preaching.
Thesis
Every preacher labors under some authority and for some end; the gospel preacher goes out under the commission of Christ alone, responsible only to God, representing not a sect, party, or creed but the whole of Christianity, moved by love for Christ and for the souls of men.
Burden
Ask a preacher who sent him and you have asked the most important question about his ministry. Some go out by human authority and for human ends — for money, for a denomination, for a party. The outline answers the question for every faithful gospel preacher: "I go under this commission, and I am responsible only to God." That single conviction reshapes everything — what he represents, what he refuses to represent, and why he preaches at all. The burden of this lesson is to recover a ministry that answers to Christ alone and aims at nothing lower than the salvation of souls.
Introduction
All preachers labor under some authority and for some end. Some go out by human authority and for money or position, and each man is responsible to whatever authority sent him. But the gospel preacher goes out under the commission of Christ — "Go into all the world and preach the gospel... He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:15-16); "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" (Matt. 28:19) — and is responsible only to God. The outline draws out what that commission means in six strokes.
I. I Do Not Represent a Sect or Denomination (Acts 2:47)
The church of God is not a sect or a denomination, and the man sent by Christ does not represent one. He represents the body Christ built and adds the saved to (Acts 2:47) — not a branch of it, not a party within it, but the church itself.
II. I Do Not Represent a Party in Religion — Which Scripture Condemns (1 Corinthians 12:25)
Division in the body is condemned: God so composed the body "that there may be no division" — "no schism" — in it (1 Cor. 12:25). And consider the force of it: when Paul rebuked those who took the name of an inspired apostle — "I am of Paul" (1 Cor. 1:12-13) — and called it carnal, what shall we say of taking and wearing the name of an uninspired man? If wearing an apostle's name divides the body, how much more a mere man's?
III. I Represent the Whole of Christianity (1 Corinthians 2:2)
The preacher does not represent a few selected principles hardened into a creed; he represents the whole of Christianity — "I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). A creed is always less than Christ; it takes some of the truth and freezes it. The gospel preacher carries all of Christ to all the world.
IV. The Apostles Represented No Sect or Creed (Mark 16:15)
Some will object, "Is it not right to represent sects and creeds?" Then answer the simple question: what sect or party did the apostles represent when they went out under Mark 16:15? What denomination did the disciples belong to whom the Lord added to the church in Acts 2:47? They wore no party name and held no human creed. If the commission produced no sects then, it authorizes none now.
V. The Motives That Moved the Apostles to Preach (2 Corinthians 12:14)
Why did the apostles preach? Not for the reasons that drive hirelings:
- It was not for money.
- It was not for popularity or fame — Paul says plainly they were not "seeking glory from men" (1 Thess. 2:6).
- It was love for Christ and for God.
- It was love for the salvation of souls — "I do not seek what is yours, but you" (2 Cor. 12:14).
The motive purifies the ministry. A man preaching for money or fame will trim the message; a man preaching for love of souls will not.
VI. A Burning Desire for the Souls of Others (2 Corinthians 12:14)
Every preacher — indeed every Christian — should have a burning desire for the souls of others.
- Such a desire puts down all selfishness, all sects, and all creeds — a man consumed with saving souls has no energy left for party-building.
- This is the very burden of the commission. "Go... preach... make disciples... baptizing them" — the commission exists to save the lost, and the preacher who feels that burden needs no human authority and serves no human end.
Application
Whether or not you stand in a pulpit, the commission shapes you. If you teach or speak for Christ at all, ask under whose authority you do it and for what end — Christ's authority and the salvation of souls, or something lower? Refuse to represent a party; refuse to reduce Christ to a creed; refuse the motives of money and applause. And whatever your role, take up the burden of the commission as your own: a burning desire for the souls of others. That single desire would heal most of what divides the people of God, because no one consumed with saving the lost has time to build a sect. Carry the whole of Christ, to whatever part of the world is within your reach, for love of Him and of them.
Conclusion
The gospel preacher goes out under the commission of Christ, responsible only to God, representing not a sect or a creed but the whole of Christianity, moved by love for Christ and for souls. That is the commission — and its burden, a passion for the lost, belongs to every Christian. Go under it.
Invitation
The commission that sends the preacher is aimed at you: "Go... preach the gospel... he who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:15-16). Answer it. Believe that Jesus is the Christ, repent of your sins, confess Him, and be baptized for the remission of your sins (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38), and the Lord will add you to His church — no sect, no party, but the whole of Christ. Come while we sing.
Word Study
| English Term | Greek Term | Basic Meaning | Usage in This Sermon | Sermon Significance | Key Texts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preach | kēryssō | to herald, to proclaim as an official announcer for a king | the preacher has no message of his own | the preacher has no message of his own; he announces the King's, under the King's authority | Mark 16:15 |
| No division / schism | schisma | a tear or split, as in a torn garment | God built the body to be seamless | God built the body to be seamless; party spirit rips what He wove whole | 1 Cor. 12:25 |
Scripture Interlock Table
| Theme | Boles' Outline | Supporting Scripture |
|---|---|---|
| The commission itself | Text | Mark 16:15-16; Matt. 28:19 |
| The church not a sect | I | Acts 2:47 |
| Party spirit condemned | II | 1 Cor. 12:25; 1:12-13 |
| Representing the whole of Christ | III | 1 Cor. 2:2 |
| Apostles wore no party name | IV | Mark 16:15; Acts 2:47 |
| Right motives for preaching | V | 1 Thess. 2:6; 2 Cor. 12:14 |
| A burning desire for souls | VI | 2 Cor. 12:14 |
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Converted from H. Leo Boles, Outline 41. Doctrinal audit: core-framework (the gospel preacher under Christ's sole authority, responsible to God; the church not a sect; party spirit and human creeds condemned; preaching motivated by love for souls); no correction. The "wearing an uninspired man's name" argument draws in 1 Cor. 1:12-13 as the parallel Boles assumes behind his 1 Cor. 12:25 ("no schism") citation. Style audit: OCR cleanup. Supplied supporting reference (1 Cor. 1:12-13) flagged; Boles' own citations (1 Cor. 12:25; 2:2; Acts 2:47; 1 Thess. 2:6; 2 Cor. 12:14) verified and retained.
