465: Final Words | Dave Sloop

Introduction

Thank you, Bob. Good morning everyone. So glad that you're here. Happy Mother's Day. Let me be the third person. Let's give it up for our moms in the house. I honestly do not know who I would be if it weren't for my mom. She played such a pivotal role in who I am today. And I'm so grateful for the mother of my children who are experiencing that same unique and special benefit. And so just want to say thank you to you, moms.

I also want to acknowledge that for some, this day evokes a sense of gratitude for our moms and for some, it evokes a sense of pain — for some, loss that you may have experienced in a number of different ways. And so I want to begin this morning by praying and thanking God for you, but also praying for those of you that might be hurting this morning.

Let's pray. Father, we thank you for our moms. We're so grateful for the women in this church who love you, who adore their children, who care for them, and who really stand in as a visual representation of the tenderness and the love of God. Lord, we pray for anyone who might be hurting today, who might be especially aware that today might be a stinging reminder of the fact that we live in a fallen world and that things don't always pan out as we know they ought to. But we thank you, Lord, that we come always together to remember that one day, things will be made right. We ask that you would be near to the brokenhearted. We thank you in Christ's name, Amen.

The Purpose of the Sermon

All right. Would someone mind hitting start on that for me? And I'm so glad I hadn't started yet. Okay. Well, for those of you that don't know me, my name is Dave. I'm one of our pastors here; I'm our newest pastor. Thank you.

Two weeks ago, I jumped into, I guess, a little mini-series — two weeks of just sharing what my vision for our church is, not so much a comprehensive vision as much as it is, the things that are close to my heart. I've been reflecting a lot about who I hope that we become together as a community.

Two weeks ago, we had the opportunity to look at the great commandment. The teachers of the law came to Jesus and they said, "What is the most important thing that we could be thinking about and doing? What is it that God requires of us?" And Jesus didn't say something new. He said something old and familiar and forgotten. He said, "The greatest commandment is this, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength." It was just another way of saying, "Bring your whole self to me, love me with everything that you have."

Then He said, "The second is like it," because you see, He refused to separate these two commandments, because the second one was like it, and here's what He meant by that. You will show your love for me in the way that you love my children.

This is why John says, "If we claim to have the love of God in us, but we don't love our neighbor, which by the way, neighbor is everyone who bears his image, then the love of God is not in us." He's not telling you, you need to do this to prove it. He's telling you that if you love me, you will love my image-bearers.

We were reminded of the fact that that's what CHS has always been about, by the way. That's been the most important thing. There's a lot of things that a church can do, but going out of our way to make sure that we are a community of people who love Him for real with everything, and we love our community because of our love for Him — that's what we're about.

The Westminster Catechism would put it this way: "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." John Piper takes that phrase and he changes one word to capture what he thinks is intended. Here's what he says: "The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever."

What we go on to say, the reason for that, is because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. That's my hope. That will always be number one for me: that we would be a congregation of people who are loving Him in a way that's real, intangible, and satisfying because you can't help but want to be part of a community like that.

If two weeks ago was about the chief end of man, then today is about the chief end of the church. Have you ever wondered why we are here? What is it that we're called to do? Why did God form a church for what purpose, what end?

If you're going to answer that question, you had better go to Matthew 28, where Jesus could not be more clear about His vision. It's my particular strategy in life to not try to get too much more creative than Jesus. We're going to look at what is known as the great commission of our Savior and Lord.

The Great Commission

It begins in verse 16 of chapter 28. Here's what it says:

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him. But some doubted.

Let me give you the scene just so you can understand the backdrop of what was happening on this particular day. In chapter 28, we see Jesus has risen from the grave. Two of His disciples showed up at the tomb; two women that loved Him, they showed up at the tomb and it was empty. But an angel was there and said, "Go tell His brothers; go tell the disciples to meet Him in Galilee. He's going ahead of you there."

And so, they tore out of there to tell their friends. On the way, Jesus met them, and they fell on their face and grabbed His feet, and they worshiped Him. He said, "Go tell my brothers, I will meet them in Galilee." And so Jesus heads to Galilee ahead of His disciples, and they, of course, go to meet Him there.

It says, "They went to the mountain to which He directed them." Let me tell you about this mountain. It is likely the tallest mountain in Galilee. I'm blanking on the name of this mountain, but let me tell you about it. When you stand there, I've seen pictures; I actually listened to a teaching from this mountain. It's fascinating.

From this mountain, you can see where Jesus fed the 5,000. You can see where Jesus fed the 4,000. You can see where the demon-possessed man was healed, and when He sent the demons into the pigs and they went over the cliff, they would have seen that as they looked out over the Sea of Galilee.

Which, by the way, as they looked out over the Sea of Galilee, do you think they might have remembered that time that He called on the storm when they were in a life-threatening storm and they almost died? Or the time that Jesus walked on the water? Or the mountain off in the distance that they would have seen where He taught the Sermon on the mountain? It was an instant snapshot of everything they did together.

He says, "Go to that place." And they go to that mountain, and then listen to this. Every once in a while, I'll read a passage, and there's just a phrase that grabs me that I just can't shake. And this week, as I studied, here was the phrase that I just could not shake. It says,

And when they saw Him, they worshiped; but some doubted.

Why? Why did Matthew choose to include this? It almost like questions the credibility of the disciples, the guys that he's going to build the church on. And it says that all 11 of them were there. There's no indication that anyone else was there. Maybe there were a few, but we know they were there.

But notice what it doesn't say. It does not say, "Some worshiped and some doubted." I want to read it again. It says, "When they saw Him, they worshiped; who were they, the 11?" All of them, they worshiped, but some doubted.

This word, doubt, in the Greek is distazzo, and it's only used twice. What it means, literally, is to duplicate. It's the idea that you have a double mind. It does not indicate that you have a settled unbelief. I think a better understanding of this word, especially as you see it play out in the New Testament, is hesitation in the midst of belief.

The only other place that this word is used, do you know where it is? It says Peter stepped out of the boat, he walked on water, he came toward Jesus, but when he saw the wind in the waves, he began to sink. Crying out, he said, "Lord, save me." Immediately, Jesus reached out His hand and grabbed him. He said, "Peter, you have little faith. Why did you distazzo?"

Look, Peter believed more than anyone in the boat among all the disciples. He believed. He walked on water. He loved Jesus, and yet he doubted. I wonder who needs to be comforted by this thought this morning. He's not repelled by your doubt. He's not repelled by people who waver in their faith.

In fact, I didn't have time to share this at the first service, but we're going to go along this second service, so get comfortable. This next thing that happens here, it says,

And Jesus came and said to them.

That verb, "Jesus came to them," is only used twice about the person of Jesus. The first time is in Matthew 17, on the Mount of Transfiguration, when they see Him in all His glory, and they're terrified, and they fall down, and they worship Him. But they’re afraid, and He comes to them. That's what it literally says. He came to them. He spoke to them, saying, "Don't be afraid." And when they opened their eyes, all they saw was Him.

In the midst of their worship, there is fear, and He comes to them. That word means to draw near, and here, there is worship and doubt, and He comes to them. So He is not repelled by doubt; He is magnetically drawn to it. Who is this, Savior? And this is who He chooses to build His church on, by the way. These 11 guys, and they're filled with doubt.

Here's the point: a doubting disciple is not a disqualified disciple, especially when he or she is a worshiping disciple. There's some of you need to hear that this morning, and I hope that you're comforted as you hear it. Because the next observation that I'd like to make will likely have the opposite effect on you, and it's this: not only is a doubting disciple not disqualified, neither is he or she exempt from what Jesus is about to say.

He's about to lay out a mission that is so grand, so beyond anything they can ever do. It is not just for the select few. It is for the faithful worshipers who don't have any doubt in their heart, and it is for the doubters who are worshiping. One hand raised in worship, and the other one raised asking a question, like, "Is this for real?" It's for everyone. Some of us need to hear that this morning.

My hope is that it shakes you as you sit there and it makes you feel a little uncomfortable. That this call that we're going to look at, it is for every disciple, not just some, not just the pastors, but everyone. Not just the ministry leaders, but for every single person that calls themselves a disciple of Jesus.

The verses that follow, here's what we're going to see. First, a truth, then a command, and then a promise. Something to know, first of all, something to do, and something to cling to.

The Truth

What is the truth? Before anything happens, what is the truth that Jesus wants them to know? It's as He came to them, and He said this:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

It’s quite a claim. To be sure, part of what Jesus wanted them to know was the extent of His power. He says, "All power, all authority, heaven, earth, there's no place that where I'm not in control, in complete control."

If you really want to understand the significance of what Jesus is saying here, here are the words that you need to hear again. He says,

All authority has been given to me.

Others point out that this is written in the aggressive, heurist tense. The heurist tense in the Greek always signifies a completed task, something that has happened. But the aggressive heurist points out the beginning of something, a state of change. Something has happened, Jesus said. All authority, it's not just that I'm powerful, all authority has been given.

And Jesus here is referencing something very specific from the book of Daniel. I don't want to turn there and read that to you. It's from Daniel chapter 7. You don't have to go there if you don't want to, but if you want to show off about how quickly you can get to Daniel, go ahead.

Daniel 7:13: And behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man, and he came to the ancient of days, and he was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom. And hear this, hear the echo. All peoples, nations and languages should serve him. And his dominion or his authority and power is an everlasting dominion. And it will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that shall not be destroyed.

Do you know that in Matthew chapter 26, Jesus references this exact same passage from Daniel 7? And you don't have to turn there. I'll tell you what he says. In Matthew 26:64, the chief priests are saying, "Are you the Christ?" And Jesus says, "You have said so, and from now on, you shall see the Son of Man coming on the clouds." It's a reference to the same passage.

And when he says it in 26, do you know what he's saying? This is about to happen. But when he references it in 28, do you know what he's saying? This just happened.

In other words, he's saying to his disciples, guys, a lot has changed since we last saw each other. This is the core, singular teaching, or truth, of the church upon which the church is built. And here's what it is. It's not primarily a set of teachings. It's not a commitment to a set of teachings. It is a commitment to a person who is and has become king. He is king. He has become king.

If you've been going to Tim Henderson's Sunday school class, or if you're a fellow, you know this better than anybody. This is something that took place and it changed everything. There are far-reaching implications of his kingship. This is why he says,

All authority, all nations... all that I have commanded, always I will be with you.

There's not one part of the cosmos that has not been touched and transformed and changed by the reality of the fact that he has become king. This is the central truth that the church needs to know forever. Others will always be the central focus and belief of the church. In fact, churches, lowercase c, will fail for many reasons, but they will all ultimately be because of this reason: because people have forgotten this central truth or they have elevated some other truth above it. He is the king.

The moment that we forget that is the moment that this church begins to fall apart.

For almost 20 years, I was on Young Life staff, and we had a guy named Jim Rayburn, our founder. He got this as good as anybody. And at the end of his life, he had cancer, but he came to the last staff conference that he would speak at. He wanted to remind everyone why Young Life was successful. I want you to hear what he said because it's true of us too.

He said this: Young Life got big because it was such a big idea behind it. The one we never thought of: everyone has a right to know the truth about Jesus Christ. They have a right to know who He is. They have a right to know what He has done. They have a right to know how they relate to that. They have a right to know Him personally.

Furthermore, they have a right to make their own choice of Him. And if you got in here accidentally without realizing that that's what Young Life is all about, then you ought to get squared away or you ought to hunt the nearest telephone booth and ask for the bus schedule. He's talking to his staff.

Then he says, that's not just what Young Life is all about. That's all Young Life is all about: Jesus Christ. This is all the church will ever be about: Jesus Christ.

This does not mean, by the way, that we only teach from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It does not mean that we discard everything else in the biblical narrative. No, no, no. On the contrary, Jesus Christ as King becomes the lens through which we understand everything else that was ever written in this book. And you know who told us that? Jesus Himself.

In Luke 24:27, it says,

Beginning with Moses and the prophets, He showed them how everything in the Scriptures pointed to Him.

He is the central figure of the Scriptures. He is the central figure of human history. We will always be about Jesus Christ, always. That's the truth—that is the truth that He needed them to know before He gave them the command that He intended to guide their life.

And here's what that was. Here we go. Here's what He said:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all that I have commanded.

I just want to take that first part. Let me read it again:

Go, make disciples of all nations.

And I want to just quickly go through each word and why it matters.

First of all, let's start with therefore. He says, "Therefore go," or "go therefore." Why do you say therefore? Because our going is necessarily linked to the truth that He just shared. In other words, He's saying there will be a logical byproduct in your life to the degree that you understand what I just told you. He has become, He is the king, He has become the king, therefore.

It's an obvious, logical outflow of knowing and believing it. In fact, I might put it this way: to the degree that we believe that that's true, and to the degree that we understand how far-reaching the implications of that statement is, we won't have to be told to go. That would be the first point. Everything is instinctive for those of His disciples who really understand what it means that He's king.

Can I give you an example of this? Every once in a while, Melissa will leave town to visit friends from college or something, whatever she does when she leaves. She goes away. And when she leaves, there's a new king in town. There's different kingdom values with which to lead. There's a new administration. And my girls know it. No vegetables. Candy for dinner. I mean, the list goes on, but there are some new values.

And every once in a while, I will pull my youngest aside, and I'll say clear, no chores. We're not cleaning the house. We're going to the jump park. Do you know what Claire does? She doesn't have to be told. She runs into the front yard where Sydney and Libby are playing. And she says, "Sydney, Libby, come close. All authority has been given to dad. No vegetables, and we're going to the jump park."

She understands how far-reaching the implications of this new king are, and it's instinctive to tell the people that she loves the most, that she knows will be impacted in the same positive ways she will.

Do you understand that He's a king? Do you understand who that impacts? You see, I don't say this to shame anyone because I fall condemned under this statement that I'm about to make. If we aren't going, there is something we have yet to believe and internalize about the fact that He is and has become the king. We don't get it. Because if we really got it, we would go.

Therefore, the second word is go. You know, the interesting thing about that word in the Greek is that it means go. It means to leave. Get out of here. Go somewhere else. And the next thing that you and I need to understand about the church as Jesus sees it is that the mission of the church isn't in here. It's out there.

He says, you're together right here. Now, go somewhere else — wherever there are people that need to hear — go, go. Listen, the moment that our church thinks that it's about us is the moment that we have lost the plot.

Christ's Church has a great quote. He says, "Christians are like manure. You spread them out, things start to grow. But if they stick together in piles, they start to stink." Isn't that true? Our call isn't here. In fact, it's important that we gather, but only to the degree that we see this time as an equipping time.

It's not just a time for me or whoever is going to be on this stage to be worth the wage. It's a time for everybody. Where's the hand-held? Let me just switch. For everyone here to understand, the whole point is that we get equipped to go, go therefore. Next. You hear me? Go. Therefore. Make. What's the point? There is something that you have to do.

It's something — there's an action involved. We do it in His power, in His authority, but it's something that you have to do—that we call this cooperating with His power that works so powerfully within us. You don't lean on a shovel in hope for a hole. You have the tool in your hand, but you have to do something. Therefore, go. Make. What are you to make? Disciples.

What were they? Disciples. What were they to make? More of us. This is another way of saying go reproduce. Yeah, what you are, what you have become: someone who understands that I'm the king. You've oriented your entire life around that reality.

Go and make other people like you, and He tells you how to do it. And in telling them how to do it, He tells you actually what a disciple is. He says, "Go and make disciples," and then He says, "baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded."

When He says baptizing them, what does He mean by that? He's not referring primarily to the sacrament of baptism, which is important, in which we do here. What He's talking about is the reality underneath the sacrament, because whether you got baptized as a baby or as an adult, it always points to genuine faith produced in your heart. It points to a new birth — something that actually happened, and sometimes it's pointing forward to a faith that you will have one day, and other times it's pointing backward to something that already took place in your life.

But it is real, and it is life change. And Paul puts it this way in Romans, chapter 6: "Don't you know that all of you that were baptized into Christ were baptized into His death? We were buried with Him, therefore, through baptism into death. So that just as Christ was raised from the dead, so you too must live a new life." He's saying, whatever is true of Christ is now true of you in your baptism.

2 Corinthians 5:17 — "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come." How does that happen? It only happens when the gospel is preached. It's not, "Jesus is not saying, 'Hey, we need to get everybody in that tub back there and get them baptized in the physical sense.'" He's saying, people need new life. The only way that new life comes is from within, and it's when the gospel is preached.

See, this is why Paul in Romans 10 says, "How can they believe unless someone preaches? And how will someone preach unless someone is sent?" Paul was the most in touch with God's sovereignty of anybody that wrote in the Scriptures. And yet he knew, somebody's got to go, someone's got to preach, something has to happen.

This is what a disciple is: it is someone, first of all, who has been transformed, but secondly, once that person is transformed, they have to be taught to observe. Can I just park here for one second? God protect us from becoming a church where we like to sit and hear teaching because of how it makes us feel about what we know.

And look, we have some phenomenal teaching here, and I'm not talking about myself. I'm talking about Tim's Sunday school class and all of the other things that you can experience at this church. There's so much quality teaching; I learn things sitting in his class. But if all we're doing is accumulating information, we've totally missed the point.

There is an end to the teaching in this passage: teach them to observe. It's supposed to have an effect on our life that causes us to obey Him. And how much in all things? Because that's what a disciple is: someone that sees Him as the king. And if He said it, I do it — because He is my king.

What's the next phrase? All nations. What's the point of that? Briefly, go and make disciples of all nations means this: suddenly, He was not just the God of the Jews; He was the God for every person.

Can I ask you something? Do you believe that? That Jesus Christ is the answer for every single person you've ever met in your entire life.

Do you know who models this for me better than anyone? My wife. Guys, she believes it. It doesn’t matter who she meets. I'm thinking of one person in particular she used to work for. We love this woman, but she could not have been more classically far away. Her whole life was diametrically opposed to what we'd teach, and yet Melissa could not wait to talk to her about Jesus.

Do you know why? Because Melissa actually believed it. Do you know why she believed it? Because it was true in her own life. She was someone who was actively believing that He is the king. He's the answer for me. He's the answer for everyone. Do we believe that?

And finally, we'll close here. He gives them a command, but first He gives them the truth, then He gives them a command, and now He gives them a promise to cling to. And here's what the promise is. Behold. In other words, listen up. I will be with you.

Matthew begins his gospel reminding everyone that He is Emmanuel, God with us. He ends his gospel by saying He is still in this new state as the king. He will be with us in a new and better way. Because now He can't just be one place at one time. By His Spirit, He is everywhere. And He says, "Where you go? Now I'm in you. I go with you."

I want you to realize how profound this is. Jesus shows up in that place. When you speak to another person, Jesus is present in your life. He's there. There's no place you will show up that He's not already there. He is with us. And here's why this is important: He begins by telling you about His power, and He ends by reminding you of His presence. And here's why this matters — because His presence is how we access His power.

And every relationship that you enter into, every person that you talk to, you have access to His power. Do you ever do that when you're talking to someone and you want them to know Christ? To just go, "Okay, God, you know this person. What do they need to hear? Would you open a door?" He's there. And He wants that person to know Him, too.

I wonder how we might apply this today. What would it look like? Some of us maybe need to be reminded that though you have wavered, He's not irritated. He's not frustrated. In fact, He's drawn to your doubt. He's drawn to your fear, especially in the midst of your worship.

Don't feel ashamed today. See, some of us need to be shaken out of our comfort zone and reminded that this invitation, which is really a command to go, is a command for us, too. You're not exempt. If you call yourself a follower, this is something He wants all of us to do.

And can I tell you just a quick snapshot of one of my favorite pictures of this? Jesus meets the woman at the well. What does she do? She leaves her water jar, and she runs back to town, and she says, "Come meet a man who told me everything I ever did." Wasn't sophisticated. It was just her story. That's all. That's what it means to go — to talk to people about how He actually has impacted your life.

You know what I love about that story, too? She leaves her water jar, which means she's coming back. That's what this is every Sunday. We come back here. We get filled up, and we go back out. That's what it's all about.

What we are called to do, and for some of you, perhaps what you need to know is not just that He is the king, but I wonder if today would be the day you understand that He's your king, that He came, and He lived a life you couldn't have lived, and He died the death that you deserved. Why? So that you could know Him, and He'd do it all over again for you.

Come under His kingship — it's a better set of kingdom values. It is what you have been looking for your whole life. It's true of all of us.

Let's pray. Father, thank you for this time. To be together, thank you. You are the king. I pray that our life would reflect a genuine belief that it's true and how it changes everything. In Jesus' name, Amen.