TrinityEvangelicalLutheranChurch October 6th and 10th, 2010
Brillion, Wisconsin Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Mark 16:15-20
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
I’m up early this morning, at least for me. And like I normally do, I get up; grab my coffee; read my Bible; and then read the paper. But this morning’s paper is different. I read the headline, “Family Condemned to Death.” As the adrenaline starts pumping, my brain makes a quatum leap to full concentration. Then my eyes jump down to the picture. I see the family that’s lived three houses down for the past 10 years and I can hardly believe it. It’s them. They seemed like a decent family, but now this? I go back to the article and begin to feverishly read. I’m stunned at their sentence. Then I come to a new section in the article. It reads, “The family was condemned and the death warrant was signed by the following individuals.” And there in the list of people was my name. I barely know what to think, but then it dawns on me. I signed their death sentence because I assumed they knew and, if I’m honest with myself, I was always too shy to talk faith with them. The sickening truth settles on me like a dark cloud: I had every opportunity to deliver the saving message and I didn’t.
There’s only one way to take the family out from under the death sentence. There’s only one way to transfer my signature from the certificate of condemnation and put it ontheir not guilty verdict. Today let’s let our Lord talk to us about some of the most important work in the world (and that’s not an overstatement!). Today and always,
Reach Out!
1. With the gospel
2. With the Lord
Sometimes last things are most important. That’s the way it is in Mark. Even modern novelists and TV show creators know that you’ve got to go out with a bang if you want to make an impact. God, of course, is the master of all communication and knows that too. So he doesn’t go out with a whimper. He ends the gospel of Mark with a great command. “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.’” (v. 15) We said that this was a great command. It’s great for a couple of different reasons. First, it’s great because of the scope of the command. Maybe it’s helpful to do a little comparison to see just how big and different the scope of this command is. Everybody in politics is concerned about taxes. Some want to keep the Bush tax cuts. Others don’t. Guess who’s not concerned about those taxes cuts. Guess who it won’t impact at all. People from another country. The jurisdiction of the tax cuts will be only as big as the US. But look at Jesus’ command. It doesn’t end with the Rio Grande, the Atlantic or one of the Great Lakes. Its jurisdiction knows no boundaries. He commands us to go everywhere. And he said it not once, but twice. He said, “All the world,” and then he said, “to all creation.” That’s one great command.
But I told you there was a second reason why it’s a great command. It’s great because of the privilege it gives to us. You heard what he said, “preach the good news to all creation.” That doesn’t mean only pastors can do it because they’re the only ones with pulpits. Preaching means to herald. It means to tell, share, or communicate the good news. You don’t have to have a pulpit to do that. All you need is another person to tell. That’s a massive privilege we don’t deserve. Think of what our gutsy God is doing. He is entrusting the most precious message to the most unreliable beings on earth: people. I think that’s pretty gutsy. Think of all the different ways God could have communicated the gospel, but didn’t. He could have spelled out the message in the clouds. That would have been a surefire way to make sure everybody heard. The clouds always obey him. He could have told the angels to do it. Angels are probably green with envy over the privilege we have. They would do the job competently and happily. But instead, wonder of wonders, God is telling us to do it. Think of the beautiful irony here. He is telling people who have sometimes been bored with the good news to preach it. He’s telling people who have sometimes tuned out the good news to share it. He is telling people who have been scared to communicate the good news to put it on their lips. He is commanding people with incomplete memories and faulty tongues to herald the good news. He is commanding people who are sometimes oblivious and uncaring about unbelievers to go tell them the “not guilty” verdict that Jesus won them. All of that makes this one great command.
I just listed about five different ways that we’re unfit messengers for the gospel. And this is where I want to stop and set your conscience free. So listen in ‘cause I’ve got some news for you. “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (v. 16) Do you believe? Have you been baptized? Those aren’t meant to be haunting, difficult questions. The answer is, “yes.” And so, you will be saved. Let that settle into your brain for a second. You will be saved. Let it thrill your heart. Go a head and let it. You will be saved. Just savor the good news. You will be saved. That’s the best news in the world. I can barely stop saying it because I want you to know it and believe it. People who believe in Jesus and are baptized will be saved. That’s God’s promise. You will be saved. Did I say it enough yet? You will be saved. Did I say it enough times so that when you try to remember what this sermon was about tomorrow you’ll remember? You will be saved. Did I say it enough times so that you’ll remember it when you feel guilty ‘cause once again you went through a whole day barely thinking of God? You will be saved. Did I say it enough times so that you’ll remember it when that one skeleton you have hiding in your closet comes back to haunt you yet again? You will be saved. Did I say it enough so that you’ll remember it when you’re lying on your death bed and the devil’s attacking you saying, “You aren’t good enough for God?” You will be saved because Jesus saved you. I’m praying I said it enough.
Hearing the good news is the difference for you between life and death. It was for the family I told you about who made the paper too. It’s the difference between innocent and guilty; being saved and being condemned. That’s a lot of pressure to put on us as his messengers and that’s why it’s good to find out that we’re reaching out with the Lord.
“After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.” (v. 19) The Lord - Mark uses Jesus’ name of authority – spoke to them and then sat down at God’s right hand. Keep in mind that God’s right hand is not a location. It’s not a place that you can plug into your GPS. It’s an office. It’s a position. The right hand is the king’s hand of power. The point is that Jesus has power and authority now. And he’s going to use it for a specific purpose. You’ll see how in this verse. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” (v. 19-20) Did you catch how Jesus has decided to use the power he has? Mark told us, “The Lord worked with them and confirmed his word.” Side by side with the disciples the Lord went out to do the work. They couldn’t see him. They couldn’t hear his voice. And yet the Lord worked with them. He was opening doors for them. He was changing hearts. He was sending his Spirit. The Lord was working with them.
The Lord is working right alongside of us too. And since we’re planning three years ahead in our cottage meetings, let’s see how God has worked with us the past three years. The Lord has worked with us. How else can we explain 30 adult confirmations over the past three years right here in our church? The Lord is working with us. How else can we explain the fact that our church has grown by 60 members over the past three years? The Lord is working right along with us. How else can we explain an early childhood program that’s bursting at the seams? The Lord is working with us. How else can we explain that five new people are taking Bible classes with our church right now? How else can we explain church attendance that has increased in each of the past three years? The Lord is working with us.
Are you convinced yet that the Lord is working with us? I am. The Lord is giving us momentum and there’s only one thing to do with it. Keep on going. And no, it won’t be easy. The devil is going to try to stop us from reaching out. Not to mention that reaching out is difficult. It takes guts. It takes planning. But with the Lord’s help we’ll dig in and do the work. We’ll keep knocking on the doors of people who have just moved to Brillion. We’ll keep following up on all the visitors to our church. We’ll keep inviting our friends to Christmas for Kids. We’ll hand out those Christmas postcards to our neighbors. We will put on the best Easter for Kids we can. We will ask God to bless our VBS with tons of people who we can tell about Jesus. We will even look for ways to reach out with Jesus in other communities. You’ll hear more about at the cottage meetings.
And most importantly we will (each one of us) be missionaries to the people in our lives. I mean that. That’s the most important way to reach out. We have 1100 members. And each one of us has relationships. Think of the lady who does your hair at the salon who doesn’t go to church. Think of your football teammate who’s not so sure about Jesus. Think about the guy who works in the office across from you who you know is having a rough year. You are the herald. They are the mission field. And let me partner with you. If you haven’t figured this out about me yet, then let me tell you. I love doing mission work. I love showing up at people’s houses who have visited our church. I love taking people through our new member Bible class. Tell me about the people in your life. Let’s talk about it and figure out ways to reach them with Jesus. I mean it.
About a month ago Alex visited our church. A Trinity family brought her. She had been a foreign exchange student with them from Germany. Alex told me, “I don’t know anybody at home who has faith except for one person.” I remember her going on to say something like, “I love coming to this church because there are people here who believe in Jesus.” That family brought her back the very next Sunday. It was the last Sunday she would be in the states before heading back home to Germany, where there are almost no active, faithful, Christian churches. She told me, “I want to learn more.” There was only one thing to do. We’re studying God’s Word over webcam. Now I don’t know anybody else from Germany. But I do know this: if the Lord can give us a chance to reach out to Germany. I know that he can work with us to reach out to people right next door too.
I was up early this morning. I spread out the Heavenly Herald on the kitchen table and a slow, unstoppable grin grew on my face. My eyes went to the headline. It read, “Family Declared Innocent – Jesus Wins Again!” Then my eyes leapt to the picture. It was the family down the street. I’d known them for ten years. And then I smiled to myself because I knew that God had used me – little, humble me with some powerful, good news – to save them. Amen.