The Great Commission Gospel

December 22, 2025

What Now? The Great Commission Gospel Matt 28:18-20

Friends,

 

Merry Christmas week to you. John MacArthur was once asked how he prepared sermons. His response was, “Keep your bottom in the seat until the work is done.” That work ethic has always appealed to me but, it means, on short weeks like this particular Christmas week, when everything has to be completed by Tuesday at 4:30, the “work” requires the same number of “bottom in the seat” hours as any other week for it to get “done.” So, I began studying for this Sunday’s sermon yesterday afternoon and, waking up throughout the night to rethink and reshape it, I re-started “the work” early this morning. I’m fairly far into it but, if you peruse the notes, you’ll see that the ninth point is not yet developed. I’ll try to get to that this evening and then finish the sermon and complete the CG questions and Daily Devotions tomorrow morning. This will give everyone else who makes the Sunday preaching hour successful, all of Tuesday afternoon to create bulletin inserts, make the PowerPoint, etc. And that will enable all of our Heritage staff to enjoy Christmas Eve, Christmas and the day afterward, with family.

 

It is Christmas week and you may not have time to read each day’s CG leader devotion, but even if you have to read them all on Saturday, I hope you will read them. There are some real truth bombs in the TRAP devotional that will help you in life and in your CG.

 

I hope, that in all of the busyness of this season, you have time to reflect on Christmas as the birth of Jesus, the long-awaited fulfilment of God’s promise, the assurance that he will keep his promises to us, and the hope of Heaven he has promised to each of us. As you can, share that “good news of great joy” to your friends, relatives, neighbors and associates, particularly as you gather around the various tables you will enjoy this week.

 

Lord willing, I will see many of you Wednesday night at 5:30 for the Christmas Eve service.

 

Pastor Reggie


What Now?

The Great Commission Gospel

Matthew 28:18-20

(An ‘After-Christmas’ sermon)

 

Intro: There is a sense in which preaching answers the question, “So what,” “What does this mean,” or “What’s the big deal?”

 

It’s appropriate, after Christmas to ask, ““So what,” “What does this mean,” or “What’s the big deal?”

 

Jesus answers that for us in what is commonly known as The Great Commission.

 

·       Matthew is often called the Great Commission Gospel because The Great Commission is often treated as a final command tacked onto the end of Matthew.

 

  • But Matthew did not end with mission; he built toward it.

 

  • From the genealogy to the resurrection, Matthew has been shaping a vision of a King whose reign was never meant to stop at Israel’s borders.

 

  • Matthew 28:18–20 is not a surprise. It is the inevitable conclusion.

 

First: Matthew Frames Jesus as the Fulfilment of OT Promises

 

Matthew opens with a genealogy that quietly signals a global horizon.

 

a)    Jesus is the son of Abraham (Matt. 1:1) → “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3)

 

b)    Jesus is the son of David  (Matt 1:6) → “I will raise up your offspring after you… and I

will establish the throne of his kingdom forever… Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.”  (2 Samuel 12:12-13)

 

From the first verse, Jesus is presented not merely as Israel’s Messiah, but the fulfilment of God’s OT promises to Israel and the nations.

 

IMP: When we read Matthew’s genealogy, we might wonder why he doesn’t include every Old Testament name. The answer is simple and important:

 

1 - Matthew is not writing a modern family tree, he is making a theological claim. Biblical genealogies were never meant to be exhaustive. They were selective, purposeful, and symbolic.

 

2 - Matthew arranges Jesus’ lineage into three sets of fourteen to proclaim one central truth, Jesus is the true Son of David, the rightful King.

3 - Matthew highlights the figures that move God’s redemptive promise forward and omits others because his goal is not biological completeness but covenantal fulfillment.

 

4 - From the very first verse of his Gospel, Matthew is telling us that all of Israel’s history has been moving toward this moment, toward this King, toward this Christ.

 

So, Matthew’s moves us from Abraham, through whom God has promised the nations, through David, the King who will rule those nations, to Jesus, who is the fuliflment of the Abrahamic and Davidic promises.

 

Second: The Great Commission in Genesis

 

a)    God begins the Bible with a commission, not merely a creation.

 

“So God created man in his own image… male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27).


Humanity is created as God’s image-bearers, meant to reflect His character, authority, and presence in the world.


b)    God blesses humanity with a mission.

 

“And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion…’” (Gen. 1:28).


The blessing is not private; it is missional. God sends Adam and Eve outward to multiply His image and extend His good rule over the whole earth.


What is their mission?

 

·       They are to perpetuate the image of God by expanding the human family (“be fruitful and multiply”).

·       Each child will be a regal image-bearer of the Lord to the rest of creation. They are also to Edenize the world, that it, to “fill the earth.”

·       Eden is elevated, on a mountain (e.g., Ezekiel 28:13-14), down from which flows a river (Gen. 2:10).

·       As more image-bearers are born, the Garden and Mt. Eden will need to expand to accommodate them.

·       As the human family grows larger and larger, the real estate of Paradise will require more acreage.


Genesis 1:26-28 passage contains all the core elements of the Great Commission:


·       Authority - God speaks as Creator, exercising authority over heaven and earth.

·       Image-bearers - Humanity is created to reflect God’s rule and character.

·       Sending - Adam and Eve are sent outward, beyond Eden, to fill the earth.

·       Multiplication - They are to reproduce image-bearers.

·       Kingdom expansion - God’s ordered, life-giving rule is to spread over the whole earth.


c)    Eden is the starting point, not the destination.


Eden functions as God’s dwelling place on earth (Gen. 2:8–10), but humanity is commanded to fill the earth.


The goal was the expansion of Eden, that God’s presence would spread outward as His image-bearers spread outward.


d)    Humanity was called to rule by reflecting God, not replacing Him.


“Let them have dominion…” (Gen. 1:26).


Adam and Eve were to rule as servant-kings and queens, exercising authority through care, cultivation, and obedience.


In Genesis 3, humanity rebels, Eden is lost, and the mission collapses into violence, exile, and death.


Eden is lost. Brother murders brothers. Violence mushrooms. People “exchange the truth of God for a lie and worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator” (Rom. 1:25).

 

The commission is fractured, but not broken, by the Fall.


We know this because God immediately promises restoration: “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15).


The hope of a coming Deliverer, a new Adam, enters the story.


e)    God reaffirms the Genesis commission through Abraham, who is Matthew’s starting

point.

 

“In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3).


The global scope of Genesis 1, God’s purpose in blessing of the nations through a promised seed, returns in Genesis 12, reappears throughout the OT, and picks up again in Matthew 1 with Jesus as the “blessing” by which God will bless the nations through Abraham.


In effect, Abraham and Sarah become Adam and Eve, 2.0.


And the Great Commission continues throughout Genesis.

 

·       After Eden is lost, God repeatedly sends His chosen servants outward so that blessing might move beyond one family to many peoples.

·       He promises Abraham that through his offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.

·       He reaffirms that calling to Isaac and Jacob,

·       In Joseph, we see the pattern lived out rather than merely spoken. Joseph is sent into the heart of the nations, where God’s presence goes with him, God’s wisdom is displayed through him, and countless lives are preserved because of him. Looking back, Joseph can say, “God sent me before you to preserve life.”

 

Genesis 45:5-7 - And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.”

 

Genesis 50:19–20 - (After Jacob’s death) - Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

 

Genesis shows us that God’s mission has always advanced through faithful image-bearers living among the nations, in order that the blessing of life might spread. What Jesus commands in Matthew 28 is not new; it is the fulfillment of a mission Moses has been advancing throughout Genesis.


Transition: Which brings us back to Matthew in which

 

Third: Gentiles Appear at Key Moments Early On

 

Matthew repeatedly places Gentiles at decisive points in the story.

 

a)    Three women in Jesus’ genealogy (Rahab, Ruth, and “the wife of Uriah, Bathsheba”), all Gentiles, signaling that God’s global redemptive plan.

 

Joshua 2:8 – (Rahab) - for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 

 

b)    The Magi (Matt. 2)


Matthew 2:1 – “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem…”

 

Who were the magi? They were pagan astrologers who travel far to worship Israel’s promised and newborn king.

 

Matthew is teaching the reader: this kingdom will not stay confined to Israel.

 

Fourth: Jesus’ Teaching Already Assumes a Global Mission

 

Long before Matthew 28, Jesus speaks in ways that stretch beyond Israel.

 

a)    The Sermon on the Mount - “You are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14)

 

A city on a hill is visible to the nations, not hidden within one people.

 

b)    The Lord’s Prayer “Your kingdom come… on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10).

 

The scope is cosmic, not local.

‘

c)    The Parables of the Kingdom (Matt. 13)

 

Matthew 13:31-32 - …‘The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches. (See Ez 17:22-23 & Dan 4:12).

 

Matthew 13:47 - Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.

 

Jesus’ kingdom, by its very nature, is expansive.

 

Fifth: Jesus Regularly Commends Gentile Faith

 

Matthew, a gospel written primary to Jews, is intentional about including Gentles.

 

a)    The Roman centurion (Matt. 8:5–13)

 

Jesus marvels: “I have not found such great faith in Israel.”

 

Matthew 8:11-12 - I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness.

 

b)    The Canaanite woman (Matt. 15:21–28)

 

A Gentile woman, whom Jesus compares to a dog, persists in faith and receives mercy, while the disciples struggle to understand.

 

IMP: These episodes prepare the reader emotionally and theologically for a mission beyond Israel.

 

Sixth: Israel’s Rejection Is Paired with Expanding Inclusion

 

As Matthew progresses, resistance from Israel’s leaders increases.

‘

a)     The parables of judgment (Matt. 21–22) speak of a kingdom taken from those who refuse it and given to others.

 

Matthew 21:43 - Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.

 

Matthew 22:8–9 - Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.

1.    People other than Jews will enter first (21:31)

2.    The kingdom is taken from the Jewis and given to others (21:43)

3.    The invitation is extended to all (22:9)

b)     Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem (Matt. 23) signals a turning point.

 

When we reach Matthew 23 and hear Jesus weep over Jerusalem, we are not witnessing the collapse of God’s plan but the turning of the page. That moment marks the end of His public ministry to Israel’s leadership and the beginning of something larger. Rejection does not silence the gospel; it sends it outward.

 

What Jerusalem refused, the nations will receive. And so when we arrive at Matthew 28, Jesus stands on another mountain and speaks again, not in grief but in authority. The gospel that was resisted in Jerusalem is now commissioned to the world.

 

Matthew ends where he has been heading all along: the kingdom is no longer centered in one city but carried by disciples to the ends of the earth, and the same Jesus who lamented rejection now promises His presence “to the end of the age.”

 

Seventh: This Occurs In the Passion Narrative’s Global Overtones

 

At the cross:

 

a)    The sign reads “King of the Jews,” which is a political, public claim (Matt 27:37).

 

b)    A Roman centurion confesses, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Matt. 27:54)

 


Eighth: The Great Commission Is the Inevitable Conclusion, Not a Surprise

 

So…when Jesus finally says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” in Matthew 28:18-20,

 

Matthew’s readers are meant to think: “Of course. This is where the story has been going all along”.

 

The Great Commission is not an add-on. It is the logical outcome of who Jesus is, how He has been received, and what kind of kingdom He has been announcing from page one of the Bible

 

Matthew is the Gospel that was always going somewhere

 

           Ninth: This is what the Great Commission Looks like

 

(To work on Tuesday morning)

 

Use thought from Daily Devotion - The Great Commission does not with a task but with a promise: “I am with you always.” That’s such a glorious thought. From Eden to the New Jerusalem, God’s presence among his people has always been the goal. The mission is sustained not by strategy but by Emmanuel, God with us, until the end of the age. That friends, is a promise worth building our lives and church on!!!

 

           Conclusion: The mission to the nations is not Plan B; it is the unfolding purpose of God when privilege gives way to unbelief.

 

  • Matthew is not just telling us what Jesus said at the end.
  • He is showing us who Jesus has always been.
  • The Great Commission is not a task added to discipleship—it is the overflow of knowing Jesus.

 

APP: Heritage’s mission is “making disciples here and around the world.”

 

 The elders have defined a ‘disciple’ for Heritage, someone who is dedicated to:

 

1      Sunday morning gatherings

2      A community group

3      Service

4      Giving

5      Scripture

6      Prayer

7      Evangelism

8      Mentoring

 

See Discipleship Wheel at the end of the sermon notes.

 

This is how we fulfill the Great Commission at Heritage, by “making disciples – who look like this – here and around the world.” That’s the plan for 2026!

 

 

Theme

The Great Commission Was Always the Point

 

Monday — The Commission Begins with Authority

Text: Matthew 28:18; Genesis 1:26–28

 

Think. Jesus begins the Great Commission by grounding it in authority: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” This echoes Genesis 1, where God speaks as Creator-King and commissions humanity to rule, multiply, and fill the earth. God’s mission does not begin with our enthusiasm but with divine authority. From Eden onward, God’s purposes have always flowed from who He is, not from what we can accomplish. Isn’t that a glorious thought?

 

Reflect. Why is it essential that Jesus speaks of authority before He speaks of mission? How does seeing Genesis 1 as a commission reshape the way you understand The Great Commission?

 

Apply. As a CG leader, where are you tempted to treat mission as optional or secondary? How can you weekly emphasize this mission to your CG?

 

Pray. Lord Jesus, anchor my obedience in your authority, not my confidence. Teach me to follow in submission before I lead in action.

 

Tuesday — The Commission Survives the Fall

Text: Genesis 3:15; Genesis 12:1–3; Matthew 1:1

 

Think. The Great Commission did not end when Eden was lost. Sin fractured humanity’s ability to carry out God’s mission, but it did not cancel God’s purpose. In Genesis 3:15, God promises a Deliverer. In Genesis 12, He promises Abraham that all families of the earth will be blessed. Matthew opens by declaring Jesus as the Son of Abraham, signaling that the original mission is being restored, not replaced.

 

Reflect. Why is it important to see the Great Commission as recovery, not reinvention? How does this protect us from seeing mission as Plan B?

 

Apply. How does this long biblical storyline, i.e., biblical theology, shape the way you teach Scripture to your CG, especially when discouragement or failure is present?

 

Pray. Faithful God, thank you that your purposes are not undone by human failure. Help me trust your long obedience even when the present feels broken.

 

Wednesday — The Mission Advances Through the Nations

Text: Genesis 45:5–7; Matthew 2:1–2; Matthew 8:11–12

 

Think. God advances His mission by sending His servants, like us, into the nations. Joseph is sent ahead “to preserve life.” The Magi travel from the East to worship Christ. A Roman centurion displays faith greater than Israel’s. Matthew consistently shows that God’s kingdom has always been moving outward, even when His people resist or misunderstand it.

 

Reflect. What does Joseph’s story teach us about God’s hidden purposes in displacement and sorrow?

 

Apply. How can you teach this principle of God, working out all things for our good as part of His outward-moving mission even in the difficult circumstances your CG members may be facing?

 

Pray. Sovereign Lord, help me trust that you send your servants where you intend your blessing and sometimes choose a costly path to accomplish your will.

 

Thursday — Merry Christmas

Rejection Does Not Stop the Gospel

Text: Matthew 21:43; Matthew 23:37–39; Matthew 28:16–20

 

Think. Matthew 23 is not the failure of God’s plan but a turning point. Israel’s rejection does not silence the gospel; it sends it outward. The same Jesus who weeps over Jerusalem later stands on a mountain in Galilee commissioning His disciples to the nations. The mission expands precisely where resistance is strongest. Hallelujah for the cross!

 

Reflect. How does this connection between Matthew 23 and Matthew 28 deepen your understanding of God’s patience and purpose?

 

Apply. As a CG leader, how do you respond when your efforts are resisted or misunderstood? How does this text reshape your expectations and give you patience while God works in you and others?

 

Pray. Merciful King, keep me from discouragement when the gospel or my presentation of it is rejected. Teach me to trust that you are always moving your mission forward.

 

Friday — The Presence That Sustains the Mission

Text: Matthew 28:20; Exodus 33:14; Revelation 21:3

 

Think. The Great Commission does not with a task but with a promise: “I am with you always.” That’s such a glorious thought. From Eden to the New Jerusalem, God’s presence among his people has always been the goal. The mission is sustained not by strategy but by Emmanuel, God with us, until the end of the age. What a thought, dear friends!!!

 

Reflect. Why is Jesus’ promised presence more essential than the scope of the mission itself?

 

Apply. As you prepare to lead your CG this Sunday, how can you model dependence on Christ’s presence rather than confidence in preparation alone?

 

Pray. Lord Jesus, thank you that you do not merely send us, you go with us. Teach me to lead in the confidence of your presence.

 

 

The Sound of Silence

By Reggie Weems • March 23, 2026
Friends, In The View from my Study this Monday, I’m inviting you to watch my sermon prep in a little more detail. I began this study the week before Teana and I went to Ireland, which gave me some extra time. For that reason, it not only includes the O, I, C, A thoughts but some extra thinking on my part as well. I’ve explained this process to you before but, on this occasion, I thought I would let you see that Observation, Interpretation, Correlation and Application is not the overall scaffolding for my study, but I use each of those elements in every point of the sermon. So, what I’ve done, is leave my initial O, I, C & A in the sermon outline for you to see. What you see each Thursday is the subpoints of the outline ‘fleshed out;’ each one given substantial thought but without the O, I, C & A scaffolding (although the sermon notes do usually do highlight the APPlication point). PS. You’ll see several APP thoughts for each point. I usually just choose one. I hope this helps you in your daily study of any passage. Just as an FYI, a member recently reminded me that Dr. Howard Hendricks taught this study method for many years. He defined each point as: Observation – See it Interpretation – Understand it Correlation – Relate it Application – Live it That’s a good way of saying it, isn’t it? If you’re interested in knowing more about Dr. Hendrick’s study methodology, I have written a short article illustrating it for you and placed it at after the TRAP devotion The Sound of Silence Luke 23:50–56 The Big Idea: When God seems absent and his plan feels unfinished, faith is often demonstrated in humble obedience to what we do know. (Just do your thing, while God does his). Introduction: In our modern era, we are accustomed to a story moving from tragedy to resolution in as little as 60 minutes. But Luke’s Gospel slows us down at a surprising place, a pivotal place, perhaps the most important and most difficult place, the day between the cross and the resurrection. Of all the possible days to make us pause and wait, this one makes us anxious. Here’s what has happened. Jesus has died. The disciples are scattered. All hope seems buried. Luke tells us that Joseph of Arimathea takes Jesus’ body down and places it in a tomb. The women carefully watch where He is laid. They prepare spices for Jesus’ body and then they go home and keep the Sabbath. It’s that simple. It’s that profound. And then, the story stops. Whaaaaat? There is no resurrection yet. There are no angels in the garden delivering messages of good news. There is just awful, painful, excruciating silence. For the disciples, this moment must have felt like the end of everything they hoped for. The story of Jesus seemed unfinished, but it has come to a screeching, undeniable halt. Yet Luke is teaching us something very important in this text. Our faith doesn’t always have to look dramatic as in healing the sick, perplexing the Pharisees or raising the dead. Sometimes our faith looks like simple obedience and patient trust in God when he seems so very, very silent. What does it look like? Well… this— First: Faith Acts When Others Do Not (v50-51) A) Observation 1) Luke introduces Joseph of Arimathea as “a good and righteous man” (v. 50). 2) He had not consented to the council’s (Sanhedrin) decision to condemn Jesus (v. 51). 3) Luke notes he was “looking for the kingdom of God.” 4) In a moment when most of Jesus’ well-known disciples are absent, Joseph suddenly, yet courageously appears. 2) Interpretation 1) Joseph represents humble, but faithful discipleship. 2) His faith had existed before this moment, but now it becomes visible. 3) Waiting for the kingdom did not make him passive. It prepared him to act. 4) Sometimes the most important exercise of our faith is revealed in private moments and after the crowds disappear. 3) Correlation 1) Hebrews 11:1 - Faith trusts what cannot yet be seen. 2) John 12:42 - Some believed in Jesus but feared public identification. 3) Joseph demonstrates a faith that becomes visible at a crucial moment. 4) Application 1) Faith is often proven in moments no one else sees. Hebrews 6:10 - For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work… My worth is not in skill or name In win or lose, in pride or shame But in the blood of Christ that flowed At the cross (Neither is the value of your labor for Jesus) 2) Loyalty to Christ is sometimes expressed quietly rather than dramatically. 3) The question for us is not simply what we believe privately, but whether we will stand with Christ publicly. This is the real test of faith. Second: Faith Acts When the Future Is Uncertain (v52) A) Observation 1) Joseph goes to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body (v. 52). – (This is a really, really big deal). 2) Roman authorities controlled crucified bodies. 3) Mark records that Joseph “took courage” before making the request (Mark 15:43). (I wonder what that looked like?) B) Interpretation 1) Joseph publicly identifies with a crucified Messiah. 2) This request risks his reputation, influence, and perhaps, most of all, his safety. 3) At the very moment when Jesus and his followers appear defeated and scattered, Joseph steps forward. C) Correlation 1) Matthew 10:32 - Whoever acknowledges Christ before others will be acknowledged by Him. 2) Proverbs 28:1 - “The righteous are bold as a lion.” 3) Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. D) Application “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree today.” - Martin Luther (attributed to him) What does that mean? We should be faithful in the only moment we have which is the present. We should hope in the future God has promised, regardless of circumstances. Our eschatology should shape our ethics. (Our belief should form our behavior) 1) Courage in the Bible often appears when faith looks least reasonable and this act did not look reasonable by any means. 2) Faith does not wait until circumstances look hopeful. That’s what faith is! 3) Christian obedience sometimes requires courage when the outcome is uncertain. 4) We are called to identify with Christ even when culture or circumstance discourages it. Third: Faith Demonstrates Devotion Simply for Jesus (v53-56) A) Observation Joseph takes down the body of Jesus (v. 53). He wraps it in linen and places it in a new tomb cut in stone. (Jesus is the only person in history to ever borrow a tomb). The women follow and observe the location of the tomb (v. 55). They prepare spices and ointments for his burial (v. 56) B) Interpretation From the disciples’ perspective, Jesus is dead and the mission is over. Yet, these actions express reverence for, faith in and love for Jesus. Their devotion is offered without any expectation of resurrection. Wow. Is this what devotion without expectation, just love for and trust in Jesus look like? C) Correlation John 12:7 – This confirms Jesus talk about being anointed for burial. Ecclesiastes 9:10 - Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might. The Bible often portrays devotion to God even when His purposes are not fully understood. (More examples). D) Application Believers are called to honor God even when circumstances confuse us. Faithfulness is about a Person, not a plan. Love for Jesus expresses itself through simple acts of private, daily devotion. Apply that to marriage. Fourth: Faith Obeys What It Knows to Obey (v56b) A) Observation The women prepare burial spices (v. 56a). Yet Luke notes that they then rest on the Sabbath (v 56b). The passage ends with silence and waiting. Our 3-days can be very long. B) Interpretation The women’s grief does not cancel their obedience. Even in sorrow they continue to honor God’s commands. (This is a hard one) Even in confusion, they continue to love Jesus. C) Correlation The book of Esther doesn’t mention God by name, but he is everywhere. - The words God, Lord (YHWH), or prayer do not appear - There is no direct reference to worship, sacrifice, or the temple. - God is never addressed or spoken to. - And yet, there are a series of providential ‘accidents’ (Well glory!) Esther becomes queen at the precise moment the Jewish people are threatened. Mordecai overhears the assassination plot against the king. The king cannot sleep and reads the record of Mordecai’s loyalty. Haman is forced to honor the very man he intended to destroy. The decree against the Jews is ultimately reversed. How did this happen. Well, at one point in the book, Mordecai says, “Relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place…” (Esther 4:14) That other place is Heaven! 2. The Bible repeatedly connects faith with patient waiting. Lamentations 3:25–26 - The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.  Psalm 46:10 - Be still and know that I am God. (Bryan recently led us in a study of Psalm 46 during our staff meeting). Psalm 27:14 - Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Psalm 37:7 - Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him… D) Application We often live between promise and fulfillment, already and not yet. In those moments, faith looks like simple obedience in ordinary things during unsteady or extraordinary times. God is often doing His deepest work when heaven seems silent. Conclusion: I took the title to Paul Simon’s song, “The Sounds of Silence,” for the sermon title. One line in that song reads, The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls And whispered in the sound of silence. Luke records what may be the most silent moment in the whole gospel story. Jesus is in the tomb. The disciples are grieving. Heaven is not only quiet. It may be stymied. Yet the silence is not God’s abandonment. It is the stillness before the great gettin’ up morning of the resurrection. Stop here and think about those moments in your life. I think we can benefit from faith of Joseph and several women whose actions demonstrate - quiet courage, simple devotion, and faithful obedience while waiting for God to finish his great work. And they have no idea what’s about to come.

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Let's Learn To Pray

By Reggie Weems • February 18, 2026
Let's Learn to Pray - Matthew 6:9-13 Friends, Good Monday morning to you. The sun is shining; the weather is going to get in the 60’s. Spring is in the air!!! But let’s turn our attention for a moment from what’s going on outside, to what’s going on inside…our hearts. This needs to be emphasized and re-emphasized. The difference between living like verses 2-4, as modeled by Janes and Jambres who have “a form of godliness (but deny its power) is Paul’s encouragement to “abide” in the Scripture; to “trace” the life of God that makes us “wise for salvation which is through Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 3). That’s it, friends. To master the word until we are mastered by it. Because the more you know the Bible, the more you will know God, the more in love with him you will be and the more closely you will follow him with your heart, mind, soul and strength. You, the elders and I, as the spiritual leaders of Heritage must live this life, model it and teach our people to thrive in the Bible. Take the doctrine of prayer, our subject matter this Sunday. Had Jesus not taught the disciples how to pray, they would not have known how to pray. Had the Gospel writers not recorded Jesus’ words on prayer, we would not know how to pray. If we do not read, study, memorize, meditate on, and practice Jesus’ words, we are not praying. This text alone teaches us the Christian life cannot be lived separate from the Bible. It is not enough for us to hold the Bible in high esteem, to talk about it or to have innumerable copies of it in our homes, on our phones, etc. We must immerse ourselves in it. We are saved by the Word – 1 Peter 1:23 We are sanctified by the Word – John 15:3 We are told how to live in the Word – 2 Timothy 3:16-17 The Bible is literally the answer to everything for us. So, let me encourage you to be a person of the Word, to listen to God’s command to Joshua (1:8) and to sincerely follow it – This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth = The Word must not drift away from your speech or consciousness. but you shall meditate on it day and night = the word “meditate” = to prize the Bible like a lion growling over its prey, its food, its sustenance. so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it = continual meditation on and speaking God’s Word is intended to produce vigilant, comprehensive obedience to everything he has commanded. It’s the only way to “prosper” and have “success” (1:9) in the Christian life, friends. With that in mind, let’s prosper in our prayer lives. Let’s have “good success” in prayer. It begins with knowing what Jesus said about prayer and then living a life of prayer. Here’s a proposed outline for this Sunday – Let’s Learn to Pray Matthew 6:9–13 (cf. Luke 11:1) Big Idea : Jesus teaches us to pray by reshaping who we trust, what we want, and how we live. Introduction: The Request Behind the Prayer (Luke 11:1) - “Lord, teach us to pray.” The disciples had witnessed Jesus’ authority and power, and they traced it to communion with the Father. Prayer was not ornamental in Jesus’ life. It was foundational. When Jesus says, “Pray then like this,” he is not giving a script to recite mechanically, but a pattern to form disciples. IMP: We are never more the Christians our private prayer life and private Bible study reveal us to be. First: Prayer Recognizes a Father (Matthew 6:9a) - “Our Father in heaven…” Prayer is all about a relationship and relating to God. Second: Prayer Reorders Our Priorities - (Matthew 6:9b–10) Before Jesus allows us to ask for bread, he teaches us to long for glory. Third: Prayer Retrains Our Dependence (Matthew 6:11–13) As sinners, we strive for independence, but we are dependent creatures. Until we realize this and live like it, we won’t pray. Nor will we possess the life God intends us to have through prayer. Fourth: The Movement of the Whole Prayer a) Father — Identity b) Glory — Priority c) Kingdom — Mission d) Will — Surrender e) Bread — Dependence f) Forgiveness — Humility g) Protection — Watchfulness Jesus is not merely teaching words. He is forming the lives of disciples. Prayer reshapes: · Who we trust · What we want · How we live Conclusion: When the disciples said, “Teach us to pray,” they were not asking for things. They were asking about a relationship. Jesus answered not by giving them a formula to master, but by giving them a Father to trust, a kingdom to seek, and daily posture to embrace. Prayer begins in a relationship. It moves toward adoration. It ends in surrender. And the more we pray like this, the more our hearts begin to look like Heaven. Here’s this week’s TRAP devotion for you, to help the Scripture fill your mind and heart as you live prayerfully in Jesus and prepare to lead your CG to do the same. Monday - Teach Us to Pray (Luke 11:1) Think. Before Jesus gives the model prayer in Matthew 6, the disciples ask in Luke 11:1, “Lord, teach us to pray.” They had seen his miracles. They had heard his teaching. And they traced his life to communion with the Father. Prayer was not ornamental in his life; it was foundational. As such, they did not assume they knew how to pray. They asked to be taught. Prayer must be learned from Scripture. If Jesus had not taught them, they would not have known how to pray. If the Gospel writers had not recorded his words, we would not know how to pray. The Christian life cannot be lived separate from the Bible. Reflect. As a CG leader, learning to pray is a prerequisite to teaching others how to pray. How are you learning to pray? What are you learning to pray? Are you still asking to be taught? Apply. Read Matthew 6:9–13 aloud three times today. Slowly. Do not analyze it yet. Just listen. Let the words shape your thinking about prayer. Pray. Father, teach me to pray. Do not let me teach others what I am not living myself. Tuesday - Prayer Begins with a Father (Matthew 6:9a) Think. Prayer begins with relationship. Not performance. Not technique. Adoption. “Our” reminds us prayer is covenantal. We belong to a people who are being conformed to Jesus’ image. “Father” reminds us we already are reconciled and our approach to God is based on Jesus’ life and works, not ours. “In Heaven” reminds us he reigns over all our requests and should reign in our lives. Your view of God determines your prayer life. If he is distant, you will be formal. If he is harsh, you will be guarded. If he is Father, you will come. Reflect. Do you approach God as Father or as evaluator? Does your prayer life reveal intimacy and reverence? Apply. Before asking for anything today, spend five full minutes addressing God as Father. Thank him for saving you. Rehearse to him and yourself what it means to belong to him. Pray. Our Father in heaven, anchor my life and CG leadership in sonship, not performance. Wednesday - Prayer Reorders Our Priorities (Matthew 6:9b–10) Think. Glory comes before bread. God gave Israel manna in the wilderness to display his glory. God’s priorities shape how he provides for us. Can you trust him with that? In this prayer, Jesus trains our desires before he allows us to request anything. Otherwise, we are wasting our breath. To hallow his name means to treat it as weighty, the priority. To seek his kingdom means to want his reign extended, in us and the world. To pray for his will means surrender to that kingdom. Prayer is not aligning God with our agenda. It is aligning ourselves with his. Reflect. When you pray, what comes first: your crisis or his kingdom? Does your leadership in the CG reflect God-centered priorities? The difference will shape your life. Apply. Write down your current prayer requests under three headings: 1. God’s Name 2. God’s Kingdom 3. God’s Will Let Scripture reshape your prayer list. This will change your life!!! Pray. Father, reorder my loves. Make your glory weightier to me than my comfort. Thursday - Prayer Retrains Our Dependence (Matthew 6:11–13) Think. Daily dependence dismantles self-sufficiency. “Forgive us our debts.” – We all need mercy. “As we forgive…” Unforgiveness suffocates prayer. “Lead us not into temptation…” Prayer assumes our need for God. This prayer retrains the illusion that we are strong, sufficient, and secure on our own. Reflect. Where are you living independently instead of dependently? Is there someone you must forgive before you teach this Sunday? Apply. Confess one specific sin today before God. Name it. Receive forgiveness. Extend forgiveness if needed.  Pray. Lord, keep me humble, dependent, and vigilant. Friday - The Word Forms the Prayer (Joshua 1:8; 2 Timothy 3) Think. Continual meditation on and speaking God’s Word is intended to produce vigilant, comprehensive obedience to everything he has commanded. We are: · Saved by the Word (1 Peter 1:23) · Sanctified by the Word (John 15:3) · Equipped by the Word (2 Timothy 3:16–17) If we do not read, study, memorize, meditate on, and practice Jesus’ words, we are not praying. The Bible should not be a prop. It is our life. Reflect. Are you holding the Bible in high esteem? Are you daily immersing yourself in it? Are you mastering the Word to be/and being mastered by it? Apply. Work on memorizing Matthew 6:9–13 before Sunday. Speak it aloud. Don’t let it depart from your mouth and heart. This will reshape every day of your life. Pray. Father, make me a person of the Word. Let your Word form my prayer and let prayer shape my life.

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