Therefore, We Go

 

Text: Matthew 28:16-20

Focus: The Great Commission

Function: to help people know they are empowered to obey the command to love one another.

¹⁶Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted. ¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

My goal this morning is to help people know that they are empowered to obey the command to love one another.

This passage is called “The Great Commission” which is to GO. The command starts with the imperative: Go!

That is why I titled the sermon, Therefore, We Go.

The idea of the therefore, it is “there,” “for” the reason listed.

And that is the promise of Jesus going with us while being continually connected to the Father and transferring the authority of heaven to us.

The commission is for us to GO. God has given to us good news that will transform the world that we live in. God wants us to demonstrate that good news in our actions, our love and our forgiveness toward others.

I mentioned that this year during lent, the thing I noticed about the resurrection was that at first, in every encounter, Jesus physical appearance was very different and it wasn’t until Jesus said or did something that was part of his character that they recognized him.

In this instance, he appears to them and they are not sure. Most translations say they worshiped him but some doubted. Leaving us to think that perhaps it was the leaders of the disciples who recognized Jesus and had to convince the others.

My text says they all doubted. I studied Greek in college, so I looked it up and yes, the text says they all doubted. It literally says, they weren’t sure.

I think it happened like this. Again, Jesus appears in a different form and they don’t recognize him as The Nazarene anymore, but as the Christ, according to Richard Rohr. And they don’t recognize him as the Christ until He does His spiritual stuff.

In this case, he gives them the charge to Go with the promise that forever, which includes us, Jesus is with us. Praise God.

And He is here to help us serve Him.

After the command to Go. Which means, I believe to leave our comfort zones at times and go against the cultural narrative of greed and selfishness to that of love and compassion.

Go and change the world according to the teachings of Jesus. I don’t know if you notice, but I try to stay focused on the teachings of Jesus because that keeps us centered on the main point.

The “Therefore” to this that Jesus said to Go, maybe even leave our comfort zones and do the right thing. We are to make disciples everywhere we go by teaching them to observe Jesus’ teachings. And of course, both Jesus and brother Paul summed up Jesus’ teachings with one commandment, Love One another.

So that is why my purpose is to help you see how God will help you fulfill the command to love one another. Because in this passage Jesus promises to be with us forever. I believe in the form of the Holy Spirit which lives in everyone who makes love for others their goal.