Sermons

Saturday, May 9, 2026

This week, we are continuing our series, “Growing in the Good News of the Gospel,” looking at the good news that God brings to our world and how it affects our everyday life. Last week, we talked about “good trouble,” how we fight injustice and impiety through self-giving love; and how that gets us into trouble in unjust systems. I think our sermon last week prepares us well for today’s verses, from the end of the Gospel of Matthew: [READ Matthew 28:16-20] 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.” 1. Introduction: Does God Really Have Power Today? This past week, I had a few sleepless nights. Once, because of some issues with our house. Not our personal well-being, but the structure. Another night, because of the state of the world. Both nights, my mind was racing and I ended up spending time with my mind racing, and fighting to focus on time with God in prayer. These are many days when we find our minds wandering or our hearts racing. With that in mind, we hear again that the disciples saw Jesus, and they worshiped him, but some doubted. They saw him!! They all worshiped him. And still, some doubted. What did they doubt? They doubted it was really him. They doubted God really has the power to raise people from the dead. They weren’t sure it was Jesus and they weren’t sure what it all meant! Again, I want to remind you that Jesus’ resurrection is the starting point for the good news that we have. But still, even as we worship God together, some of us doubt: does God really have that kind of power? Is this only a story? Or is this only a past story—and things are different now? Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, therefore Go…” Our first response might be, “really?” Really, all authority? Really, you’re really in charge? What about… everything that’s happening? What about my job? What about my relationship? What about our world? What about evil people going around without any consequence or justice? What about crime on the rise in Calgary? What about my inability to move forward? God, do you really have the power that you say you have? If you do, where is it? 2. Finding God’s Power Today Jesus says, “go!” If we are ever going to find out if God has the power that he says he has, what are we going to do? Well, the only way to find out is to do what Jesus tells his disciples to do: Go! (1) Make disciples; (2) baptize them; and (3) teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. Then, Jesus adds, (4) “surely, I am with you always.” Now before we get into this, I want to imagine for a moment that we do “go”. We go and we want to make disciples of all nations. How would that look? Let’s imagine, for a moment, that we’re walking on this journey that Jesus has sent us on. As we walk on the road, the first person we meet is a family member or friend, they’re glad to see us and they’re encouraging. They want to receive and enjoy whatever we have, because they already love us! But once we leave our city, once we leave our province or state, and once we start moving further afield, we quickly bump into people whose first reaction is cold. They want nothing to do to us. They know about our nation, so they think they know all about us. If we are going on our own journey, and if we are going in our own power, we are going to become discouraged. There’s language that’s been around for a few years now, talking about people being anti-fragile. We’ll skip over the background to the main point: If you want strong bones, do you lay in bed all day, or do you exercise? Laying in bed might feel safe—there’s no risk of anything happening! You can control your situation. However, laying in bed is exactly how you get weak bones and weak muscles! Bones need to be put under use and tension in order to be strong. Muscles need to be used and exercised in order to grow. You can overdo it, for sure! But always laying in bed is guaranteed to make you weak! This is because our bodies are antifragile systems. They need to be used to become strong. Many things are this way. But faith is like that too. Our faith becomes strong through action. Our faith becomes weak through inaction. If we never take a risk, if we never say, “God, I think this is what you’re saying, and even though I’m not sure, I’m still going to do it!”—if we never do that, we will never have a strong faith. It’s tempting to think that faith is sitting back and waiting and watching to see what God does. It’s tempting to think that faith is about sitting on our hands until God does something amazing. And it’s tempting to think that God must love other people more than me, because amazing things are happening “over there,” but not here. Jesus doesn’t give us any room for that nonsense. Jesus says, Go! Finding out whether God really has power is not an academic exercise. Finding out if God really has power is not a thought exercise. Finding out if God really has power is not possible if we sit back and wait; or if we stand above the Bible or above God and try to make a decision on our own terms. Jesus comes, proclaiming the kingdom of God, and he says, “Follow me!” Others come and ask if Jesus really is who he says he is. Jesus answers, “Come and find out!” Now, in Matthew 28, Jesus commands his disciples: “Go!” The only way we find out if Jesus ‘is who he says he is’ is by trying. By moving. By going. By stepping out in faith! How do we find out if God really has power? We Go! We move. We Follow. We go—and we go on God’s terms. 3. Jesus’ Instructions for Finding and Using God’s Power Here again are Jesus’ instructions: Go! (1) Make disciples; (2) baptize them; and (3) teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. Then, Jesus adds, (4) “surely, I am with you always.” 3.1 Make Disciples The key question: make disciples of what? What does it mean to make disciples? Jesus came proclaiming the kingdom of God. The answer is almost certainly, “make disciples of the kingdom of God.” Show and tell how the kingdom has come. How has the kingdom come? It’s come with God’s power on earth. It’s come as heaven on earth. But critically, the kingdom of God comes one person at a time. One household at a time. The kingdom of God does not come through force or coercion. It comes through the person of Jesus, embodying the love of God. This is how we what love is: Jesus Christ, laid down his life for us. God gave his son. Jesus gave his life. The followers of Jesus gave their lives. The followers of Jesus give our lives. Imagine a world where people give themselves to each other. Give their lives for each other. That is a good power. That is what it means to make disciples. The church is sick, not just River Park Church, because many people want to take the easy way. They want power, but no sacrifice. They want to be in charge, but they do not want to serve. They want the power of God—but they want it for themselves. Brothers and sisters, if the church is sick and if our world is sick it is because using power for yourself, for your own good, is antithetical to the way of Jesus! God gives his son to us, even though it cost him greatly. Jesus gives himself for us, even though it cost him his life unto death. Again and again, we see that God’s power is demonstrated in giving oneself to and for others at great personal cost! This is what God’s love is. This is what God’s power is. God’s power comes with a new identity, Jesus says. God’s power is only possible when we have a new identity! So Jesus says, 3.2 Baptize Them Baptism is not about water per se. Baptism, we have said in our tradition, is a sign and seal of a new identity. In the waters of baptism, we go DOWN into death with Jesus and we are raised up to new life with him. Our old self, our flesh, dies with Christ. And a new self, a new identity and a new person with a new way of life and a new purpose—a new person comes up out of the water. If you used to live for yourself, you live for yourself no longer. If you used to live for money, you live for money no longer. If you used to live for sexual pleasure, you live for that no longer. If you used to “do what feels good,” you do that no longer. You have a new identity: you are like God. And a new purpose: to live as God lives: giving yourself in love for others. How do we do this? Well, Jesus says, 3.3 Teach these new disciples to obey everything I (Jesus) commanded What did Jesus command? This is an easy one, friends. Only a few chapters earlier, in Matthew 22, Jesus summarizes the whole law and the prophets: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your spirit, and with all your mind” and “love your neighbour as yourself.” If you are baptized, then this is your goal: to enter every situation, every interaction, and every decision with love for God and neighbour in mind. Not just kindness or niceness or taking the easy path to avoid trouble. Real love: self-sacrificing love that gives ourselves for others. Imagine again a world where people give themselves to each other. Give their lives for each other. And do it in love. That is a good power. That is the kingdom of God. That is heaven on earth. And it does not start with God today. Please, listen for a moment and try to understand. We are not sitting on our hands, waiting to see what God will do; wondering if God will do something, or anything with us—or, if he has abandoned us and focused on others. God has already done. God has already moved. God has already given himself to us. If we sit around waiting, sit around wondering, sit around doing nothing, we make God out to be a liar. Two thousand years ago, Jesus says to his disciples, “Surely I am with you always, even to the end…” 4. Surely, God is with us always. Whatever you are going into, you’re not going into it alone. When we wonder about the world, we often expect God’s authority to be enacted at the cosmic level; but since creation, God has rested from his cosmic work. Since creation and the fall, God has primarily worked with and among people—at the personal level. We are too quick to allow our situations to change and shape and define us; then we want God to use his power and authority to change our situations , so that we feel better about ourselves. But God does not do it that way. God does not put his power into the air, as it were. God puts his power in people. God has put his power in you! He has already filled his son with his power and authority. And Jesus shares it with all. With us. Power, but power for good. Brothers and sisters, we are not waiting for God. God is waiting for us to step out in faith. To try to live in obedience. To allow ourselves to be in a position where we really do need to rely on him. And then, in our time of honest need , then to see his power, his provision, his authority. Let’s come to him in prayer.