Sermon June 19, 2011

Theme:

GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD HIS CHURCH, SO THAT WE WHO HAVE BEEN REDEEMED CAN SHARE THE LOVE OF CHRIST WITH OTHERS!

Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Text: Matthew 28:16-20 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Great Commission

16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Dear friends in Christ,

Earlier this month we dedicated our new pavilion to the Lord and celebrated Pastor Merrell’s 40th year in ministry. The Lord blessed us with beautiful weather and it was a wonderful time of fellowship for all.

The building of the pavilion was a long process. Many were unsure and doubted whether if it would ever get built at all. It took years of giving and careful stewardship of God’s gifts as well as the process, planning and building requirements of the township. We then had to hire a builder, make revisions, deal with completion dates and finally put off the finishing touch of the new cement floor until spring.

Building anything can be hard work but we can all thank the Lord for the completed project and the wonderful use it will bring to our church and our outreach endeavors in the years to come that will make it all worthwhile. Building a pavilion is good but another building - the church - is being built daily on the foundation of our faith, which is Christ Jesus our Lord. And we know that:

GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD HIS CHURCH, SO THAT WE WHO HAVE BEEN REDEEMED CAN SHARE THE LOVE OF CHRIST WITH OTHERS!

In our text today we read that: the disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.

It is unclear in the text what some doubted. It could have been that some were unsure if the resurrection really took place or whether it was truly Jesus standing before them now. Many of Jesus’ followers were scattered after his trial, crucifixion and death and some, like Thomas, were still doubtful that the man Jesus that they had followed and had hoped in, could be the one who would redeem and restore Israel and was the very same Jesus that was standing before them now.

Many believed but some doubted. Doubt about our resurrected Lord? It was evident then that some of the disciples were looking for something other than God’s plan to redeem and save the lost and after 2000 years of church history it is still evident today.

At times, we too can be blinded to the truth of God’s word, by the working of our sinful nature. This can cause doubt and keep us from the blessed Good News that on account of Jesus’ sinless life, death on the cross, burial and resurrection on the third day, that you too are free of the guilt of your sin and covered by the righteousness of Christ.

Sometimes there is a need to rebuild in life, as we have seen in the last month by the devastation from the tornados in and around Joplin, Missouri and the flooding that had displaced many around the banks of the Mississippi river. It is truly heartbreaking to see this loss of life, livelihood and living conditions for many believers and non-believers alike.

Faith in Christ does not make you immune from the world or life’s problems as we have seen over the last few years here in Michigan, as many members of our church family have had to move or relocate because of job loss or economic conditions. Some have lost their homes to foreclosure while others have needed to find additional work, just to keep above water in these trying times.

These and many things can cause doubt today. Professors with a liberal world view at college can draw our children into doubt of the truth of Christ’s teaching. Popular TV hosts can announce that all paths lead to God and many of their viewers will follow after them down the path that leads to destruction. You too may be led into doubting your own baptism by good intended Christian friends that turn the blessing of baptism into a work we do. They’ll tell you that baptism is only for those that can truly make a decision for Christ but the truth of God’s word, in our Gospel lesson today, is that Jesus Christ has made a decision for you and builds His church through the word of His promise.

This word of His promise is clear in the text of the Great Commission:

19 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, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Yes, Jesus promised the disciples to be with them always. This was very Good News indeed and a great comfort for them as they shared the Gospel with all who would hear. The making of disciples –or followers of Christ – is how God builds His church. Jesus proclaims to His disciples here, this Good News and these disciples were commissioned to take this message of God’s forgiveness in Christ to the very ends of the Earth. It is how the early church was built and how God continues to build His church.

The joy of this Good News for those first followers of Jesus could not be kept silent. By proclamation of God’s word and in sacrament, by the baptizing of all nations, followers of Christ were made by the power of the Holy Spirit and the building of God’s church began, has continued to be built, and will continue to be built until our Lord returns in glory to judge the living and the dead. The joy of seeing the church, the household of God grow gave the disciples the opportunity to participate in God’s work and God continues to build his church through the proclamation of the word and by the sacrament of Baptism still today.

There are many in our midst that are lost, hurting and in need or are complacent and comfortable in the grip of sin. When you share the love of Christ and proclaim the Good News with those in need you experience the joy that God does in building his church, just as the first disciples did going forth from that mountain into all the world!

The blessing of God’s Good News and promise connected to the water in Holy Baptism, applied in the name of the Triune God of Father, Son + and Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of your sins is commanded by Christ in the Great Commission of our Gospel reading today and applied by pastors around the world in the place and by the command of Christ to build God’s church.

This Baptism is not a symbolic washing or a work on the part of the individual to make a decision for Christ. This is the very word and promise of Christ, connected to the water and applied by God’s under shepherd for you, where the Holy Spirit is given and faith is created in Christ’s finished work and those that have been baptized believe.

God knows your problems and He cares. He has also built a foundation for your salvation that will stand forever against the attacks of the world, the flesh and the Devil that will never need to be rebuilt. Because, He sent His only Son our Lord to stand in your place, to take upon Himself the guilt of your sin and to nail it to the cross, once and for all for you, never to be thought of again.

This is the blessed Good News! This is the blessed hope that you too can share with others if you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior. That while in this life, even though you will still be affected by the consequence of sin, you can know and hold fast to the Good News that Jesus died for you! Your sins have been paid for and our Heavenly Father sees you through the blessed veil of Christ. That also by the power of the Holy Spirit, in you, He will keep you in the one true faith handed down once and for all through the church for time and eternity by word and sacrament.

On this Festival of the Holy Trinity we celebrate the unique character of God who after having revealed Himself in the words of Holy Scripture as Father, Son + and Holy Spirit worked to redeem the lost and to build the family of God through His means of grace of word and sacrament. He was at work then and is at work now and Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples of all Nations has been completed in you, who by the power of the Holy Spirit have been given faith to believe.

GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD HIS CHURCH SO THAT WE WHO HAVE BEEN REDEEMED CAN SHARE THE LOVE OF CHRIST WITH OTHERS!

May you always remain steadfast in the truth of the word of our Father, Son + and Holy Spirit, for the peace and comfort of your soul, now and forevermore.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in and through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior now and forever.
Amen