Go for Jesus who goes with you.

 

Sermon for Trinity Sunday, June 4, 2023

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Matthew 28:16-20  ¹⁶The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them.  ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some hesitated because they were uncertain.  ¹⁸Jesus approached and spoke to them saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  ¹⁹Therefore go and gather disciples from all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and by teaching them to keep all the instructions I have given you.  And surely I am with you always until the end of the age. (EHV)

Go for Jesus who goes with you.

Dear fellow redeemed,

            What motivates you in your everyday activities?  That is a question that most people likely should ponder, but I wonder how many really do.  Of course, I am equally confident that you could find numerous self-help books and motivational counselors that would encourage you to understand what drives you in your day-to-day efforts.  Are you motivated to work harder to make more money, have a bigger house, a fancier car, or more entertainment?  Do the trappings of wealth drive you, or are you motivated by the idea of prestige, of being famous for success in business or politics?

I suppose that these questions might sound a little uppity out here on the prairie.  Most of us will never make headlines in the news for our political achievements.  Nor are we likely to become famous for our music, or multibillionaires because of some invention or idea we have developed.

Still, a person doesn’t have to be rich to be motivated by money.  The poor are often just as driven, even if it is just to try to find enough to eat.  Jealousy and greed are two sides of the same sin.  Likewise, a person doesn’t need connections in high places to be motivated by a desire for influence.  When election season rolls around, local issues are just as likely as national ones to cause a stir in the community, and we could find numerous examples of people who irritated their neighbors simply by trying to influence their vote or their behavior.  Unfortunately though, wealth, privilege, fame, and power, all soon prove to be capricious and fleeting masters without any ability to save the soul.

Still, the question hangs in the air, what motivates you?  Or better yet, what should motivate you as a Christian believer?  And, what do you suppose motivated those eleven disciples to go out to the mountain that Jesus had designated as the place to meet Him?

In answer, what should motivate all people is the reality that there is an all-powerful God who will one day judge every person on earth.  However, we know that this knowledge alone won’t motivate anyone, because a law-based motivation is really a fear-based motivation and fear makes us enemies of the One who will judge, so a law-based motivation always fails.

This portion of God’s Word in our sermon text gives us the answer to our questions and provides a proper motivation for Christian believers.  Matthew reports, “The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them.  When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some hesitated because they were uncertain.”  There on the mountain of Galilee, the eleven disciples met again their resurrected and glorified Lord, Jesus Christ.  For at least the second or third time they were witness to the power of the Almighty God and to His victory over death and the devil.   Because of this meeting on the mountain at Galilee, you and I can know that everything recorded in the Bible is true, and every promise God made to send a Savior is accomplished. 

Now, the text says some of those disciples doubted.  What they doubted isn’t clarified, but likely this simply means they weren’t at first sure what or who they were seeing.  Like some of the Old Testament prophets, they perhaps wondered, momentarily, whether this was Jesus or an angel of God.  Did they dare worship this Man who presented Himself before them in such radiant glory?  And the answer is a resounding, “Yes!”  So, with great joy, we Go for Jesus who goes with you.

Jesus approached and spoke to them saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”  As God’s Son from eternity, Jesus always possessed unlimited authority according to His divine nature.  Jesus’ resurrection from the grave, alive once more, is the seal showing that by His willing sacrifice, and victory over death and the devil, divine authority is also extended to the Man Christ Jesus.  It confirmed for the disciples, as well as for you and me, that just as they should worship and serve the God in heaven who created the world and everything in it, so we will worship and serve Jesus, “For all the fullness of God’s being dwells bodily in Christ.” (Colossians 2:9)  Thus, we celebrate the Trinity.

What we must note, now, is that God didn’t send His Son into the world to judge the world, but instead, to bring reconciliation between mankind and God.  The message of this text is that Christ’s work of reconciling sinners with God is complete.  Jesus now tells His disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and gather disciples from all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and by teaching them to keep all the instructions I have given you.” 

The point of all this is that we are called to serve our Lord, not out of a demand of law, but as an invitation to take forgiveness and salvation to the whole world.  Time and again, it is recorded that God sent Jesus to save all people.  Paul wrote to the Corinthian congregation, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” (2 Corinthians 5:19)  Jesus had declared, “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)  Again, Paul assured young Timothy in his calling to missionary service, “‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,’ of whom I am the worst.” (1 Timothy 1:15)  Thus, we are urged to Go for Jesus who goes with you.

When His enemies became incensed with Jesus for forgiving the sins of a paralytic, claiming that only God can forgive sins, Jesus healed the afflicted man so that everyone would see that He has authority to forgive.  That authority was won by the sacrifice Jesus made on behalf of every sinner, you and me included.  Now, He tells us to go and share that relief with everyone else. 

Naturally, Jesus isn’t telling every Christian believer that they must serve as apostles or missionaries as His eleven (actually twelve) disciples were sent out to do starting at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:47)  Yet, in the body of His Church, Jesus has roles for all of us.  Therefore, we are to live our lives serving God rather than the devil or our old sinful flesh.  We were set free from that captivity to sin by the blood Jesus shed on the cross.  Therefore, whether we are farmers, fishermen, accountants, nurses, teachers, housewives, lawyers, politicians or any of thousands of other professions, it is our duty and privilege to serve Jesus and our neighbors by living for Him who died that we might live forever.  Whatever the task, whatever the question, the Holy Spirit tells us, “Do everything to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)  Therefore, by following Jesus in thought, word, and deed, we bring glory to the Father just as Jesus did with His holy obedience and the sacrifice of His perfect life on the cross on our behalf.

Therefore, when we bring children into the world, the first thing we want to do is bring them to Jesus, followed by teaching them everything there is to know about what Jesus has done to set us free from the devil’s control, torment, accusations, and everlasting prison.  When we have opportunity to share forgiveness with those around us, it is our joy and privilege to share that forgiveness freely.  Not all of us are called to travel the world as missionaries, but we join together with fellow saints to pool our resources in order to send men into the mission fields ripe for harvest.  In all of this, and God-willing much more, we Go for Jesus who goes with you.

Jesus promised His disciples He would send another Helper for them, the Spirit of Truth, and He promised, “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.” (John 14:18)  This morning, Jesus confirms that promise, saying, “And surely I am with you always until the end of the age.”  By the power of His authority over all things in heaven and earth, Jesus is working on our behalf, enabling us to do the tasks He gives us and protecting us from every true harm.  He sends His Holy Spirit through the Word to bring us to faith, to guide us, and to protect us in the true faith.  Paul wrote, “All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, well equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Jesus assures us that until that final day when He returns to judge the world, “Where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am among them.” (Matthew 18:20)  So, in our worship services, Jesus is with us.  In our prayers, He intercedes for us with the Father.  In the communion with His body and blood in the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus is with us, nourishing our faith, restoring forgiveness, and building us up to go out among the world with His grace and truth.

Dear friends, on this day in which we celebrate the Trinity, we remember that the Father who created us also loved us enough to give His own Son into death so that we may live.  Both the Father and the Son together send the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament to bring to us the Good News that works faith and life everlasting.  The God of heaven and earth, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, have had, and continue to have, only your everlasting good in their hearts and minds.  There is no greater power in heaven or on earth than the Savior who gave His all so that you are forgiven and redeemed children of His Father, also now your Father, in heaven.  With sure confidence in Jesus and all He has done to give us forgiveness and life everlasting, we give thanks and praise to the Triune God.  Therefore, now Go for Jesus who goes with you.  Amen.

For the LORD, our God, is good.  His mercy endures forever.  His faithfulness continues through all generations.  Amen.