Making Disciples (Pep Talk)

Making Disciples (Pep Talk)

A sermon delivered by Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

April 22, 2018

at Bethany Presbyterian Church, Zuni, Virginia

Proverbs 1: 22-33

Matthew 28: 16-20

Let us pray,

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside of our minds

Help us to be more than our lives

For your eyes show the way

Your mind knows the truth

Your being is the life.

Amen.

Begin with the Old Testament

These are Words of wisdom in a book of words of wisdom, Proverbs opens with introductory words about the purpose of these words.

I want to read this opening to get at the purpose of Proverbs. . . to give us some context

The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

² for gaining wisdom and instruction;
    for understanding words of insight;
³ for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
    doing what is right and just and fair;
⁴ for giving prudence to those who are simple,^[a]
    knowledge and discretion to the young—
⁵ let the wise listen and add to their learning,
    and let the discerning get guidance—
⁶ for understanding proverbs and parables,
    the sayings and riddles of the wise.^[b]

But now in our passage we have the lady wisdom herself, rebuking the foolish.. . . take a listen.

 “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
    How long will mockers delight in mockery
    and fools hate knowledge?
²³ Repent at my rebuke!
    Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
    I will make known to you my teachings.
²⁴ But since you refuse to listen when I call
    and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,
²⁵ since you disregard all my advice
    and do not accept my rebuke,
²⁶ I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;
    I will mock when calamity overtakes you—
²⁷ when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
    when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
    when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

²⁸ “Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
    they will look for me but will not find me,
²⁹ since they hated knowledge
    and did not choose to fear the Lord.
³⁰ Since they would not accept my advice
    and spurned my rebuke,
³¹ they will eat the fruit of their ways
    and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
³² For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
    and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
³³ but whoever listens to me will live in safety
    and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

As I was reading these words and their tone, I couldn’t help but think back to the locker room and the sideline. . . the pep talk.

Pep talks. . .

All the different coaches I’ve seen do it  

Baker

When a senior – young coach

Hampden – Sydney

Ed

Del

Orlando – props

Me – Quiet coach, who when loud, meant something

Became my role to give the pep talks

I got to be pretty good. . . you give a different one before the game, at half time, and then after

This morning’s text has that element, as it is the famous last words that the risen Jesus leaves the disciples with according to Matthew

Here is that text:

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

I want to do a few things today in looking at this so called Great commission, this pep talk, because we have it all in the text

1.      I want to think about the audience. . . these disciples. . . where they are, here with everything going on. . . and then compare them to us

2.                  Then I want to look at the content of what Jesus is saying. . . how it is taken, how we should take it, what is Jesus really saying to them and therefore to us here

3.      Then Last I want to look at the game. . . if this is the pep talk, the game plan outlined, the last remarks by the coach. . .

I want to evaluate how the game has been played based on what Jesus told us it was all about, and maybe this could turn into my own half time speech where some important adjustments might be made. . . hey it’s a plan, let’s see how we do….

So the disciples. . . they’ve been through a lot,

they’ve seen Jesus crucified,

they’ve deserted and abandoned him,

they’ve got all that guilt going on

But now he’s back and he’s invited them to join him

He’s filled their nets, broken bread with them, its been like old times

But now he is going away again, and he is leaving these words

Look it says they did two things. . .

1.      they worshipped him

2.      Some doubted

I get both. . . much has gone on. . . you’d be amazed for sure

But there would also be this doubt, this place in the back of your head that thinks, how can this be possible.

It’s too strange. But you are hear and you are worshipping

You are in the game at least, and I’ve always thought that is enough

To be there, to be engaged to be wrestling with the reality and its possibilities,

not because you’ve got it all locked down, but because you don’t

And that is ok for us too, Jesus doesn’t give this pep talk to perfect people, but to people

So there we are when we hear this:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

All authority, not some but all

Heaven and on Earth – so the Romans aren’t the source of authority

No God is. . . and all of that authority was

Given – gift, granted, bestowed, placed in the hands of. . .

Me – Jesus, the crucified one, he who has been raised

            He who is Risen, he who was their friend and teacher

            What, all authority, heaven and earth

Therefore – Since that is true

Go – and make – make what

Disciples of all nations

Baptizing them, into the trinity, Father Son and Holy Spirit

Teaching them, to obey all that I taught to you

So we are to teach them, not just baptize them, not just proclaim them “Saved”

But to teach them to be disciples, and discipleship is difficult

It’s a calling, it is carrying your crosss, picking it up and following.

Discipleship is what it is all about

So lets do the final thing now. . . how have we done? How has the church done on this pep talk, this game plan?

Highlights, and low lights

What was it like when to be a Christian meant to be martyred

Easy to teach the difficulty of discipleship then, it might be hard to learn it, but it wasn’t hard to teach it

The Book of Revelation seeks to teach it. . .

Go out and proclaim Jesus is Lord, even though it may cost you greatly

Yes, but proclaiming isn’t the same thing as this “making disciples” and teaching them. . .

But then the Emperors became Christian. . . and so everyone must be

So now every one is nominally a Christian, but are disciples being made?

What about Crusades, and war, what about inquisitions? What about burning heretics, where is the teaching?

And therefore what are we doing now? We deal with all of that history every day, when we are out to make disciples and teach,

And it is hard, it is difficult, it takes a whole lot of patience and faith, has it come full circle. . . well not quite yet, no lions, no arena, no real persecution.

But much is against us. . .

Even ourselves. . . everytime we sell ourselves short

Yes there is doubt, there is fear, there is inadequacy, and humility,

But there is also a great commission here

Giving us a job to do

From someone who was given all authority in heaven and on earth

Would one such as that give it to us if we were not capable of delivering. . . and that means teaching, teaching people to become disciples, followers, people being taught, led in the way of Christ himself

Not just filling the roles, but changing lives,

I start almost every sermon with the same prayer, it is a prayer of striving

Let us pray,

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside of our minds

Help us to be more than our lives

For your eyes show the way

Your mind knows the truth

Your being is the life.

Amen.

Such things are only possible because Christ is with us to the end of the age, but since he is, they are, and we serve no one by humbly shrinking from them or rationalizing, to talk them away, instead let us humbly begin to greatly strive to fill the commission for we have been called!