Commissioned: Sent to Serve
COMMISSIONED: SENT TO SERVE
We cannot obey the Great Commission unless we first understand—and live under—the commands Jesus gives for our relationship with God.
As we begin 2026, we are intentionally grounding ourselves in something that does not shift, does not bend, and does not erode with time—
the words of Jesus Himself.
This year we will be teaching on the commandments of Jesus directly from the Gospels.
Not interpretations.
Not denominational traditions.
Not secondhand summaries.
But what Jesus actually commanded.
Because Jesus Himself said:
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)
And here is the tension we must acknowledge honestly:
We often ask people to love Jesus
without teaching them what Jesus actually commands.
Biblically speaking, love is not vague affection.
It is covenantal obedience.
So before we talk about being commissioned and sent,
we must first understand what Jesus requires of us in our relationship with God.
COMMANDS BEFORE COMMISSION
The Great Commission (Matthew 28) does not stand alone.
It rests on a foundation Jesus laid throughout His ministry.
You cannot fully and effectively represent Christ publicly
if you are misaligned with Christ privately.
This morning, we will walk through ten core commands Jesus gives that govern our relationship with God—and we will take time to explain what Jesus meant, in context, so we are formed, not misled.
TEN COMMANDS OF JESUS ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
- Repent
📖 Matthew 4:17
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
What Jesus Meant
Repentance in Jesus’ teaching is not merely feeling remorse.
The Greek word metanoia means a change of mind that results in a change of direction.
Jesus begins His public ministry not with comfort, but with confrontation.
To repent is to:
- Acknowledge God’s authority
- Abandon self-rule
- Reorient your life toward God’s reign
Repentance is not entry-level Christianity.
It is ongoing discipleship.
2 Corinthians 7:9–10
“Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
- Believe the Gospel
Mark 1:15 “Repent and believe in the gospel.”
Belief here is not intellectual agreement.
It is trusting allegiance.
“Stake your life on the good news that God’s reign has arrived in Me.”
Belief involves trust, loyalty, and dependence—not mere assent.
To believe means to actively trust, receive, and remain loyal to Jesus as the revealed Son of God, submitting one’s life to His authority and continuing in obedience to His word.
- Love the Lord Your God Completely
Matthew 22:37–38 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.”
Jesus is quoting the Shema (Deuteronomy 6), Israel’s foundational confession.
To love God fully means:
- Heart — desires and affections
- Soul — identity and life direction
- Mind — thinking, values, worldview
This is exclusive loyalty, not divided devotion.
God is not asking to be prioritized.
He is demanding to be central.
- Seek First the Kingdom of God
Matthew 6:33. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”
Jesus is addressing anxiety, provision, and misplaced priorities.
Seeking the Kingdom first means:
- God’s reign before personal security
- God’s righteousness before cultural success
- God’s will before self-preservation
This is not about ignoring responsibility—it is about prioritizing.
- Pray
Matthew 6:9–13. “Pray then like this…”
Jesus teaches that prayer is normative.
Prayer is not:
- Performance
- Manipulation
- Information transfer
Prayer is connection through communication
When Jesus teaches prayer, the focus is:
- God’s name
- God’s kingdom
- God’s will
Prayer re-centers the soul under God’s authority.
- Ask, Seek, Knock
Matthew 7:7. “Ask, and it will be given… seek… knock…”
What Jesus Meant
These are present-tense verbs—continuous action.
Jesus is teaching persistent dependence.
He is commanding
- Keep asking
- Keep seeking
- Keep knocking
This is continuous, habitual action, not a single moment of prayer.
Jesus is describing a way of life, not a technique.
Everything before this passage addresses:
- Obedience
- Holiness
- Trust
- Dependence on God
- Submission to God’s will
So Matthew 7:7–9 must be read as covenantal instruction, not transactional promise.
This command shapes a posture:
- God is approachable
- God is attentive
- God desires relationship, not distance
- Do Not Worry
Matthew 6:25. “Do not be anxious about your life…”
What Jesus Meant
This is not denial of hardship.
It is a call to trust God’s fatherly care.
Anxiety reveals where trust has weakened.
Jesus is confronting functional atheism—living as though God is absent.
- Abide in Me
John 15:4. “Abide in Me, and I in you.”
Abiding means remaining relationally connected.
- Remain relationally connected to Him
- Depend on Him for spiritual life
- Accept pruning as part of growth
- Understand fruit as the evidence of genuine discipleship
Before disciples are commissioned,
they must learn to abide.
Fruitfulness flows from connection, not effort.
You cannot manufacture spiritual life.
You must remain attached to the source.
- Remain in My Love
John 15:9–10
“If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love.”
This is not earning love—it is living within its boundaries.
Remain in the lived experience of Christ’s love by obediently aligning your life with His commands, just as Jesus remained in the Father’s love through faithful obedience.
Obedience does not create love.
Obedience keeps us aligned with it.
- Believe in Me
John 14:1
“Believe in God; believe also in Me.”
Jesus places Himself alongside God—not as a prophet only, but as the object of faith.
Belief in Jesus is belief in God’s self-revelation.
To trust God is to trust Christ.
Jesus’ commands about our relationship with God establish:
- Authority — God reigns
- Trust — God is good
- Obedience — Love is lived
- Dependence — God sustains
- Alignment — God directs
Jesus sends us outward, and
He draws us inward—into right relationship with God.
CHRIST CULTURE – “COMMISSIONED”
Christ Culture is not shaped by fear, politics, or instability.
Christ Culture is shaped by:
- Submission to God
- Obedience to Christ
- Trust in the Father
- Alignment with the Kingdom
In uncertain times, obedient disciples are stable disciples.