Sermon (04-Jun): "Go Therefore! HUA, Jesus!" Matthew 28:16-20

Scripture:

Matthew 28 (SLIDE)

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.”

Big Idea:

The objective of this message is to heed the command of Jesus as we live life

(SLIDE) Go Ye Therefore!

- Most times when it comes down to it…

- As a Christian, when Jesus speaks, we listen and carry out His words

- Or, at the very least we do all that we can to do so

- And so it is with this command, the Great Commission

- Connected to it;

- A good number of military members, soldiers, Marines and what have you are familiar with the term HUA!

- If you been around the military, that word may stand out to you and hold significance

- The times that I have been around Army soldiers and even Air Force Security Forces…

- That’s usually been the response that I have seen or heard

- So, I decided to do a little digging to see what I could find out

- One online article quoted a former Army Chief of Staff, General Gordon R. Sullivan as he said this,

“I don’t know how exactly to spell it, but I know what it means… It means we have broken the mold. We are battle focused. Hooah says — ‘Look at me. I’m a warrior. I’m ready. Sergeants trained me to standard.”

- https://militaryconnection.com/blog/theories-origins-armys-battle-cry-hooah/

- One rumored origin of the term which came from the same article stated this,

On D-Day, 1944, on Omaha Beach, General Cota, the 29th Division Assistant Division Commander asked a group of Rangers from the 2nd Ranger Battalion, “Where’s your commanding officer?” They pointed him out and said, “Down there, sir.” General Cota reportedly followed their direction and, on his way down the beach, said, “Lead the way, Rangers!” The Rangers from 2nd Bat reportedly said, “WHO, US?” General Cota thought he heard them say “HOOAH!” He was so impressed with their cool and calm demeanor, not to mention their cool term, hooah, he decided to make it a household name.

- Now, there’s a couple more theories…some with a little more colorful language

- But, what I grasped the most is this: H-U-A…Heard – Understood – Acknowledged

- And, why is that important for us today?

- I’ll tell you why

- Most Christians today, have heard of the Great Commission

- In a nutshell, it’s Jesus’ last words and command to his disciples

- We understand that Jesus died and that He arose

- His last words on the cross were, “It is finished!”

- His last words before His ascension to heaven is what we have here

- After His death on the cross, Jesus spent 40 days seen by his disciples and hundreds more

- Now, it’s time for Him to depart

- And, if I am Peter, James, John or one of the other disciples, I’m beginning to wonder what’s next for me…

- The thoughts and ideas I had of Jesus’ rule and reign as I know it is gone

- Then, imagine the whirlwind of events that have happened; not just over the past three plus years

- But, even further recently, since Jesus’ arrest, torture, crucifixion and death

- Then to see Him resurrected and spending time with Him after death

- The range of emotions must have been great

- The angst of losing Jesus—your Savior, Lord and friend—

- One thing that we may overlook is He was their friend too

- The disciples grew close like a “Band of Brothers” and He was taken rather suddenly

- Now, the thrill and excitement of seeing Him once again—

- The roller coaster of emotions that must have hit

- Yet, again, the feeling of this impending loss is beginning to creep in

- Jesus is signaling that He’s going to leave again soon

- Jesus hasn’t forgotten nor abandoned them

- Instead, He does this; He’s commissioning them and His words…

- They weren’t just for them; they were for us

- A spirited H-U-A makes a difference…coming from a follower

- I imagine commanders and leaders love hearing it

- And, if our commander is Jesus, wouldn’t He like to hear it from us?

- So, think about it, Heard – Understood - Acknowledged

- How can we make it count for us today so Jesus’ words—His commission to us—aren’t lost?

- Here’s what we have:

-- What was Heard?

-- How was it Understood?

-- How can it be Acknowledged?

Transition: This Great Commission that Jesus gave and gives is important for the future of the church and its effect in the world today

What was Heard? (SLIDE)

- At first glance, if you’re the disciples, what Jesus says can be not just challenging but also confusing

- The disciples knew that He’s mentioned authority before…

- The authority to forgive sins (SLIDE),

“But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” – Matthew 9:6

- But, now, here’s another level—all authority in heaven and earth (v.18) is His

- They knew how to worship Him and that they should worship

- Still, seeing Jesus now caused some of them to doubt—

- Doubt here meaning to hesitate and struggle to comprehend what’s happening

- I don’t think that are there many of us that have been immune to that

- Jesus has shown up in some rather challenging circumstances in my life and I am guessing in yours too

- And, hearing what He’s calling us to do rather than what we may want to do or think should be done

- It may lend way to doubt

- The disciples were once scattered and now these “Band of Brothers” minus one—Judas

- They’re back together again

- Once equipped and given authority by Jesus (Matt 10:1)(SLIDE)

“to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness,”

- The charge is different now

Transition: They’re hearing His words but I wonder if they are understanding what it all meant

How was it Understood? [SLIDE]

- The disciples hearing what Jesus is commissioning and charging them to do;

- They could have taken it in at least two ways—figuratively and literally

- Figuratively, Jesus is telling His disciples, His faithful followers to replicate Jesus—to reproduce themselves

- As parents, we don’t necessarily want our children to duplicate who we are

- A total copy of who we are is, in fact, impossible

- When God made each one of us, we are unique as individuals

- However, our best qualities in our character, we want to see them reproduced in our children

- We want to see them replicated in our children’s children

- That’s where I believe generations are changed for the better

- Along with communities and society

- Our children being an exact copy of us is not going to allow us to take a huge leap forward

- Jesus had and has the mindset to change the world as a whole

- And, the uniqueness that you and I bring to the table is merely the starting point

- Obviously, it’s not primarily about the speed of this happening

- 20 centuries have passed—it’s become about the long game

- Jesus’ physical effect on this earth was limited; about three and a half years of public ministry

- I don’t know if it’s true but someone once tallied that Jesus traveled a little over 3100 miles during His ministry

- Mind you, that’s a lot of walking

- And that’s in comparison to our annual national driving average of 12K miles

- One would argue that mileage number to be low

- But, thousands of years ago, God saw not just the physical reach of Jesus’ ministry

- He saw the spiritual effect and impact thousands of years later

- Two thousand years later and one Man continues to impact generation after generation

- From humble beginnings—a manger—this One Man is still being talked about, argued for, and against across this world

- Would the disciples have even thought that far?

- I don’t think they would have imagined

- Then, literally, for them to touch the world, baptize and make disciples of all nations

- It would have seemed at best…a lofty idea

- A lofty idea but certainly not an unattainable one

- Each of us has an area that we can impact and maybe it will only encompass 3K miles

- It’s been said that Peter became the first Bishop of Antioch; John was exiled to Patmos (Greece)—over 1200 miles from Galilee,

- And Thomas went to India as a missionary (over 2800 miles away)

- So, maybe not entirely figurative, or literal

- I believe that they made the most of Jesus’ Great Commission

- And we still see the fruits of their efforts empowered by the Holy Spirit

- God the Father, Jesus as Son and the Holy Spirit all working in concert together

- Look at what the Amplified version states,

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”

- Jesus wanted them to make disciples which can be done in different ways

- But, if we consider the power of the one—

- The power of the one on one is highly effective

- One-on-one in the day to day, in the good days and the bad days

- Sometimes I wonder how many people have decided to follow Christ based off those one-on-one mentors and examples

- Even further, think of how many people are watching the testimony of our lives played out in real time

- If we were to see the number of those who’ve seen and examined our lives and decided to become disciples/followers

- I’m guessing we would be surprised for the good and hopefully not for the bad

- I know that I have had those seasons when up wasn’t living up to God’s best for me

- The good thing is that seasons change and God’s grace, which is not to be abused remains

- We mature and grow as we abide in Him

- No one grows to full maturity on their own

- And, with the Holy Spirit involved, He eases the growing pains

- They’re not altogether taken away but eased

Transition: So, what did the disciples acknowledge and how can this Great Commission be acknowledged?

How can it be Acknowledged? [SLIDE]

- We talked about what was heard, understood and now we’re talking about acknowledged

- One of the book definitions of acknowledge is

“accept or admit the existence or truth of”

- So, how does that pertain to the disciples and us?

- As mentioned earlier, the disciples spent over three years with Jesus

- They saw miracle after miracle, healing after healing

- Provision after provision

- I believe the arrest and death of Jesus shook them up; contributing to them scattering

- But, when it came down to it, them coming together again and Jesus reappearing in the midst of them

- The proof and evidence was 99+ percent incontrovertible

- In fact, Jesus said to Thomas (John 20:27),

“Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

- The disciples saw what Jesus did and who He was

- Their acknowledgement was though they didn’t fully understand

- We see, in the Book of Acts and beyond, they carried it out

- The Fox Book of Martyrs says that each of the disciples died a martyr’s death for who they believe in

- Now, the mantle falls on us—what are we going to do?

- How will we—you and I—acknowledge the Great Commission?

- Can we inspire others to believe? Make disciples of our house, community, and workplace?

- You may not directly baptize but feel free to bring them here and I can

- No one has to feel the pressure to be a superstar Christian or a master disciple

- The goal is for us to make progress not for perfection

- I think that when we aim for perfection; it can become a bit of a fool's errand--it's futile

- In part because you or I aren't Jesus; we are to be like Jesus

- But, we will never be Jesus...and that's certainly okay

- Why? Because we were called to reproduce His character, principles, and life in us and in others

FaithPoint: We acknowledge Jesus’ Commission to us by faithfully (meaning consistently and steadfastly) living out the Christian life before God and our neighbor

Closing:

- I’d like to close with this, Eugene Peterson (responsible for The Message translation of the Bible) said this,

The gospel message says: "You don't live in a mechanistic world ruled by necessity; you don't live in a random world ruled by chance; you live in a world ruled by the God of Exodus and Easter. He will do things in you that neither you nor your friends would have supposed possible." - Eugene H. Peterson, Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work (William B. Eerdmans, 1992), p. 175

- The Great Commission was Jesus’ call and command for His disciples and for us

- As great and seemingly difficult it may be, He says, “Lo, I am with you until the end of the age.”

- He will do things in you and me that friends and family would have never supposed possible

- Things that we would never have imagined possible

- So, our response should be along these lines:

-- Jesus, I hear you, understand and acknowledge what you’re saying to me

- Amen?

- Will you pray with me please?

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I ask you to forgive me for all of my sins known and unknown, I renounce them all. Lord Jesus, come into my heart. I receive you now as Lord and Savior of my life. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He died for me and arose and sits at the right hand of God praying for me, interceding for me. Lord Jesus, I give you everything. I thank you for saving me, delivering me and setting me free, in Jesus’ name!