"Never Alone" | Rev. Dr. Donovan Drake preaching | 05.31.26

"Never Alone" | Rev. Dr. Donovan Drake preaching | 05.31.26

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

If you've ever had your doubts about the resurrected resurrected Jesus, you're not alone. Matthew says that those closest to him had their doubts. But here's the thing, it didn't stop them from living out the word. From the end, the very end of Matthew's gospel, the twenty eighth chapter, verses 17 through 20, hear the word of God. Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them, and when they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always to the end of the age. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. You would think Jesus would have said on that mountaintop, fellas, this is no way to end a story. I can't have you doubting. Not after all the work that the Spirit and God and I have put into all of this, all of this. The pregnant Mary, Joseph thinking I'll dismiss her quietly, all of this. The dreams of angels, the star in the sky, and the magi, King Herod, the killing of the innocents, all of this. The baptism of Jesus, the sermon on the mount, miracles and parables, the Mount of Transfiguration, the hill of Golgotha, the tomb, the resurrection, and all authority has been given to me. After all of this, we end in doubt. The Greek says they worshiped and they doubted. It could have been the greatest story never told. But even though they doubt, Jesus says all systems are go. As if doubt is where faith begins. Doubt does have some benefits. A little doubt is sometimes better than people who think they know. I remember strapping my seatbelt into the passenger seat of a car, checking the seatbelt twice. I don't usually do that, but behind the wheel was a young man. We'll call him Michael. A young man whose prefrontal cortex was not yet developed, 16 years old, and the boy believed he knew everything about driving a car. Teaching your children to drive. They don't tell you about that when you're thinking about having children, because if they did, no one would ever have children. I will say that my daughter was much easier to teach than my son. She was timid, she was nervous, she had some doubts. Michael, on the other hand, believed that all authority on heaven and earth had been given to him. And off we went, and I remember putting a dent into the floorboard of the car. I remember the blind left turn. We were behind a truck, and because the truck was turning left, hey, let's just follow along, Michael. I remember I remember having dark hair when I got into the car. What I'm saying is doubt puts the brakes on irrational exuberance. Doubt says, I don't know it to be true, but I believe it to be true. Doubt is faith. I hear it in the words of my wife when she says goodbye to our children. She says this to our children, call me when you get home. Do you hear the doubt? It's a chaotic world. A lot can happen. Do you hear the faith? When you get home. I believe you will get home. Doubt is faith. Faith isn't I know. Faith is I believe. Doubting disciples believe in what? It could be that they believe in sacrifice. Lots of people believe in sacrifice. Last night I conducted a wedding. The groom was dressed in his navy dress uniform, looked amazing. The bride did too. At the reception, someone stood up, the I believe the father of the bride, I think, stood up and said, We have a lot of folks in uniform, but we've got a lot of people who have served in the military. I'd like for them to stand for their sacrifice, and everyone applauded. Because we believe in laying one's life down for a good cause. Freedom of speech, it's a good cause. Freedom of religion, it's a good cause. Freedom of the press, it's a good cause. Freedom to bear arms, good cause. Freedom. Freedom, freedom. People die for freedom. It could be that they believe that this man Jesus had them believing in things that they could die for. Sometimes the world gets so crazy that there are things that are worse than dying. And that is not having a life that's worth living. Maybe they started to believe that that, you know, that mercy thing makes a lot of sense. Maybe they they loved being the light of the world. Maybe they started to believe that, you know, that guy Caesar, he doesn't have all the power. Jesus said, All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to me. And authority up to that point came in the form of, well, Roman soldiers. Rome wants your money, Rome wants your farm, Rome wants you to say hail to Caesar. Jesus knew all about those kinds of authorities. Reread Matthew 12. In that chapter, authorities are out to get him. And Jesus says to his followers, Don't make me known. And Matthew writes, This was to fulfill what the prophet Isaiah wrote. Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not wrangle or cry out loud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets, a bruised reed he will not break, a dimly burning wick he will not quench. What do we have here? The one who has all the authority is a suffering servant. The one who has all authority is quiet, nonviolent. This is Jesus. A bruised reed he will not break. This is Jesus, a dimly burning wick he will not quench. This is Jesus, the one who suffers, who dies, and that giving of himself for others so stirred the Almighty God with love. It was so brilliant his life and his death that God had to raise that up. Love wins. And this is the one to whom is given all authority. Our faith is not measured in strength. How many pounds can you lift? Our faith is measured in weakness. And listen to the weakness. Let the same mind be in you that is in Christ Jesus, who saw equality with God as something not to be exploited. But he emptied himself. Weakened himself to the point of being a slave, to the point of death on a cross. You want to lift something heavy. Lift up mercy for those who are nailing you to a cross. You want to be tough. The toughest thing is to turn the other cheek. You want something hard to do. Use your heart to give life to those who barely have life. He did it. We are to do it. If you feel weak in the area of making disciples, you're not alone. In fact, our weakness is the best place to start. Do you remember when Jesus gathered a congregation up on a mountaintop? What did he see? Do you remember what he saw? Well he said it in his sermon, I think. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Weak, weak, weak, weak weak. Blessed are those who mourn. Hmm Weak. Read through the list, merciful, peace makers. Weak weak, weak, weak, weak. And then he says to the crowd, this very weak crowd, you are the light of the world. He doesn't say repent and you'll be the light of the world. He doesn't say if you work at it, you'll be the light of the world. He says it as God did in Genesis one, let there be light, and there was light. You are the light of the world. You are. We are. Do you doubt being the light of the world? I remember in Durham doing a children's time with the preschool, and they marched the kids into the chapel, and there on the front row, right on the aisle, like right there, I'm right there, right there, was this jolly kid who's birthday and he had a gold crown on his head. And my sermon was all about the light of the world, and that Jesus calls us all lights, and I had a flashlight, and I had a candle, and I had a pen light, and I had all this light, and I'm saying these are all the lights there are. And then I said, and Jesus, there's just one more. Jesus says, We're lights. And that that little kid goes, We're not lights. And then I'm like, no, no, we're we're lights. Jesus said, We're not light. We're not lights. I said, no, we're lights. I said, no, we're not. We're not lights. I said, shut up and come out of him. Which is biblical. It's Mark 4, 35. But the point is the kid was possessed. No, the point is we're not alone in having our doubts. We're not alone in having our weaknesses. We are not alone in being called the light of the world and not believing it. We're not alone in becoming more and more like him. Near my computer I have a photo of Ned Senzulu. He was until his death a missionary in the Tet province of Mozambique with the Outreach Foundation. I keep the photo. I see him with his smile. I am reminded. I am reminded of my visit to Mozambique when I see the photo. I remember everyone knowing Nedson in Mozambique. I remember being on a road, a dirt road, grass nine feet tall. We're eating peanut butter jelly sandwiches there in the middle of the road, and out from the shrubbery comes some people with water buckets, and they see Nedson, and it's hey Nedson! Everyone knew Nedson. He made people smile. And then I remember the border crossing story. When I was there, I didn't care much for the border crossing. That was probably the whole most scary part of the whole trip. Going from Malawi to the Tet Province, the border, uh a no man's zone, soldiers everywhere with machine guns. And you know, such security made me feel a little insecure. But I remember the story in the previous crossing, the group that went ahead of us a year or two before. And someone in our group from the church there at that border crossing took a picture there at the crossing. And where the camera was aimed, a soldier there saw the picture being taken, came up and snatched the camera from one of our own. And about twenty minutes later, he came back with a camera. Praise the Lord! Nedson saved an eight hundred dollar camera. But now get this. On Sunday at a little church near the border, who should show up but that soldier. You get the picture. It's about go ye into all the world, all the world, into all the world. There are some thoughts these days that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. And doesn't need a passport. Because Jesus is just fine right here at home. I don't know what scripture they're reading. This Jesus says, Go ye into all the nations. Go ye into all the nations. My father created the whole world, made us in his image, and called it good. And you all are light. And do you believe you have the power of the authorities of darkness? Nedson disarmed the soldier. Why are you so angry? Life doesn't have to be that way. Let me tell you about some good news. He did that in a country that doesn't seem to make the news. But ever so quietly like a dimly burning wick a bruised reed that will not break. Nedson made good news. He made good news. The light of the world news. We need we need one another. This holy trinity, me and you and Jesus, we need one another. Where two or more are gathered in my name, I am there. I am there, says the Lord, God with us, never alone, nothing to fear. This Holy Trinity. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.