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Making Disciples

MAY 18, 2008

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 some 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:16–20

Who is the true God? The Hindu says, “Behold, god is not one but many; and no one can know their number.” The Moslem says, “There is but one ineffable, unknowable, transcendent God, Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.” The Buddhist says, “We are all looking for the god within ourselves.” The Mormon says, “There are many gods and we must learn to become one.”1

So I ask you, my friends, to answer the same question: Who is the true God? We don’t have to guess, do we? We know. We know because the Son of God became a man and revealed to us exactly the nature and essence of the one and only God.

I. The True God is Trinitarian

The one, true God is Trinitarian. Just a few moments ago, we confessed our faith in the words of the Athanasian Creed, saying that ...

... we worship one God in three persons and three persons in one God, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance. ... the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. And yet, there are not three Gods, but one God . . . that there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits. And in this Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than another. But the whole three persons are coeternal together and coequal, so that in all things ... the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped.2

The Athanasian Creed is a summary of the Church’s confession as to the nature of the only true God. To believe in the Trinity is to believe that there is only one God. That is to say, there is no other God besides this one God. We, therefore, assert that the Christian faith is monotheistic. Yet, this one God exists as three distinct and indivisible persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We do not believe, as is often charged, in three gods.

That is why, in holy baptism, Jesus taught his church to baptize in the name of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

But our text reveals more than that the one, true God is Trinitarian. It also tells us that he wants all nations to become believers, i.e., disciples of the Lord. He reveals to us, moreover, precisely how disciples are to be made. He institutes two means—and only two means—by which he will effect saving faith and, hence, make disciples. The first is baptism. The second is teaching. This is clear from our text. Jesus says to his Church, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.”3 How is the Church to do this? “[By] baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and [by] teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”4

Let us fix it in our minds that God’s way of making disciples is by means of baptism and teaching. We don’t need glitzier programs, better methods, or more user–friendly worship services. What we need is for God’s people to bring their children to the waters of holy baptism and to bring themselves, their children, and their friends to worship services and to Bible classes for continuing education in God’s Word. Isn’t it interesting that in most places of employment, continuing education is considered essential — or at least highly recommend. Isn’t it even more interesting that when God tells his people that they need to be in the Word for continuing growth in their faith, not a few people get upset.

 

II. Making Disciples: By Baptism

Let’s first consider baptism. Baptism is not an empty ritual. It is a powerful sacrament in which the Holy Spirit not only offers the sinner the benefits of Christ’s saving work, viz., forgiveness, and salvation, but also works the faith that trusts in Christ for that very salvation.

Many people think that baptism is foolish. “How,” they ask, “can anyone believe that the mere application of water accomplishes anything?” The answer is that baptism is more, far more, than the application of water. Baptism is like an electric wire. Without electricity it is only a wire and powerless. But when the wire is united with electricity it delivers both energy and light. So also with baptism: the water by itself accomplishes nothing. But when it is united with God’s word of promise, it delivers spiritual light, life, and energy to the human soul.

Now in our text, Christ says that disciples are made by baptism in the name of the Triune God. If we do as he commands, then baptismal water is pure, spiritual energy. Listen to what the Bible has to say about baptism. In Titus 3, we read that baptism is the “washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”5 Likewise, St. Paul says that baptism cleanses sinners in that it is a “washing of water with the Word.”6 Moreover, the apostle Peter speaks of the efficacy of God working through baptism, for he says, “Baptism now saves you.”7 O never doubt the power of God’s word, for by it, God spoke the universe into existence.8 By the same word, the Syrian general Naaman was cured of his leprosy merely by dipping himself in the river Jordan seven times.9

But there are some Christians who oppose both infant baptism and baptism’s saving power. So strongly do they despise infant baptism that, just as Naaman once despised the waters of the Jordan,10 they trip, stumble, and deny what great blessings God has provided.11 They have turned the water of life into a doctrine of death. The same thing can happen if parents baptize their children but fail to teach them the Gospel or bring them to church and Sunday school. In such cases, their baptismal faith could die of spiritual malnutrition.

 

III. Making Disciples: By Teaching

According to our text, disciples are also made by teaching all things Christ has taught. To learn all that Christ has taught means being in, and holding to, his Word. For this reason, Jesus says, “If you continue in my Word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”12 Free? Free from what? Just this: the condemnation of sin. Jesus, on the cross, bore all the blame, all of the guilt, and all of the power of sin. Think of a bee. When it has delivered his stinger, it is powerless to sting again. Well Jesus has taken the stinger of sin and death for us. All Satan can do now is to fly around and buzz. So also with sin: Jesus took sin’s stinger on the cross; so all the devil can do now is to run around and try to scare you by saying your sins are so great, you’ll never make it to heaven. But even he knows he can’t make it stick.

In our text, Jesus also says that, through the faithful teaching of God’s Word, he will also engender, preserve, and strengthen saving faith. Teaching occurs not just in Bible classes, but also by doctrinally sound sermons, the weekly lessons, the liturgy, and the hymns of the day.

And one of the most important teachings of the Bible—and one of the most frequently denied—is the reality of hell. There are 22 references to hell in the NT, and 16 of them (about 72%) come from the lips of Jesus.13 And yet so many deny its reality. But consider this story: Some years ago, a young woman lay on her deathbed. Only her father was with her. Shortly before she died, she said to him, “Father, why didn’t you tell me there was such a place?” “What place?” he replied. “A hell,” she said. Trying to calm her, he said, “Jenny, there is no such place. God is merciful. There will be no future suffering! She cried out, “I know better! My feet are slipping into it at this moment. I am lost. Why didn’t you tell me there was such a place.” And with that, she breathed her last.14

Given this, it is of critical importance that today’s parents to bring their children to the waters of holy baptism and, then, to raise them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. That means to teach them the fundamental truths of the Scripture and to be a good example of what a Christian is. This is especially true from adolescence through the college years. Cultural observers such as Alan Bloom have called attention to the fact that nearly everyone who enters our public universities believes that truth is relative.15

But Christians and Christian parents should not despair. If I can paraphrase the Rev., Dr. Steven Hein, he points out that in the maturation process, a child passes through several stages. Yet, at all times, he is simultaneously both a saint and a sinner and (a saint is a forgiven sinner). And wise parents know that their baptized darling has a sinful nature that will express itself differently as he matures.

• When a child is, say, 18 months old and tries to stick his finger in the light socket, you may say to him, “No, no, don’t do that!” And the child looks back at you with a confused, blank look — and then turns around to do it again. Behold, you are seeing the sinful self!

• When he is four or five and he disobeys, you may say, “Didn’t I tell you not to do that? Why did you do it?” His sinful answer is more creative. “I don’t know,” he says.

• Suppose he is pre–adolescent. You tell him to clean his room. He doesn’t. When you confront him, he lies and blurts out, saying, “I forgot!”

• And by the time he reaches adolescence, he is fully capable of understanding his old sinful nature and fighting against it. But will he? It depends. He knows what he should and should not do. But he also knows what his friends say and what his sinful flesh prompts him to do. So why does he behave so badly so often? . . . Because he wants to! Because he likes it!16

According to Scripture, however, parents wield a mighty weapon, Law and Gospel. At all ages and stages, disobedience demands repentance. But if it is not there, parents should not cave in. No, they do the hard spiritual work of rebuking sin in word and deed. But they forgive when the child gives up his impenitence. Years later, he will thank you for it!

Beloved in the Lord, this is but one reason why, in our own battle against sin, we need to feed on God’s Word. The Word gives us the strength we need to fight the battle against sin and Satan.

And we often fail. But God is faithful. Our Triune God forgives us and strengthens us for this, and the next round. Such is the call to rugged discipleship effected by baptism and teaching and further nourished by the same Word and by the Sacrament of Christ body and blood.

In the blessed name of Jesus. Amen.

 

 

Soli Deo Gloria!

 

Endnotes

 

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