Heucks Retreat Baptist Church - "What's Next" - Matthew 28:16-20

Devotional

Day 1: Worship and Doubt on the Mountain

The eleven disciples climbed the Galilean slope, their sandals crunching gravel. When Jesus appeared, they fell facedown. Yet Matthew notes some hesitated—worship and doubt coexisting in the same breath. These were fishermen who’d abandoned Him, a tax collector who’d betrayed friends, men still reeling from failure. Yet Jesus commissioned them anyway. Imperfect worshipers became His plan to reach nations. [27:42]

Jesus chooses cracked vessels for His living water. The disciples’ mixture of awe and uncertainty didn’t disqualify them—it revealed their need for His presence. Doubters still make disciples when they obey.

You’ve felt both hands raised in praise and fists clenched in fear this week. Jesus isn’t waiting for your doubts to vanish. He’s calling you to climb the mountain anyway. Where is He asking you to serve Him today despite your unanswered questions?

“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.”
(Matthew 28:16-17, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to strengthen your worship where doubt persists.

Challenge: Write down one area of uncertainty you’ll surrender to Christ’s authority today.

Day 2: All Authority, All Nations

Jesus stood on resurrection ground and declared, “All authority is mine.” The same voice that calmed storms now commissioned fishermen to storm nations. “Go” meant leaving familiar nets for foreign soils. “Make disciples” meant reproducing their own messy apprenticeship with Jesus in others. The mission started not with strategy, but with surrender to His supreme rule. [28:00]

Every square inch of creation belongs to Christ—boardrooms, borders, and broken homes. His authority turns janitors into ambassadors and CEOs into foot-washers. No person or place falls outside His claim.

You hold influence in circles no pastor ever will—neighborhoods, gyms, family group chats. How will you leverage your Christ-given authority today to point others toward discipleship?

“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...’”
(Matthew 28:18-19a, ESV)

Prayer: Confess areas where you’ve resisted Christ’s authority over your relationships.

Challenge: Initiate a spiritual conversation with one person outside the church this week.

Day 3: Baptizing Into Belonging

The disciples knew baptism’s weight—John’s converts had plunged into the Jordan to renounce old lives. Now Jesus commanded them to immerse nations in the Triune Name. Baptism wasn’t a solo ritual but a community marker. It turned “those people” into “our people,” binding them to God and His church. [49:30]

Baptism grafts strangers into Christ’s body. It’s the church’s adoption ceremony—where the addict becomes a brother and the executive becomes a servant.

Who have you struggled to see as part of Christ’s family? Your discomfort may reveal where God wants to stretch your discipleship.

“...baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...”
(Matthew 28:19b, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for specific believers whose baptisms expanded your view of His church.

Challenge: Reach out to one newer church member this week—invite them for coffee or a meal.

Day 4: Teaching Obedience, Not Opinions

Jesus didn’t say “teach doctrines” but “teach obedience.” The disciples remembered His lessons—washing feet, forgiving enemies, eating with sinners. Now they were to help others live His words, not just recite them. Discipleship meant creating doers, not debaters. [50:49]

Truth untethered from life breeds Pharisees. Jesus wants apprentices who sweat from following, not scholars who sweat from arguing.

What command of Jesus have you intellectualized without practicing? Your next step in obedience could become someone else’s discipleship lesson.

“...teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you...”
(Matthew 28:20a, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal one area where your actions don’t align with His commands.

Challenge: Mentor someone younger in faith this week—share a practical step you’re taking to obey Christ.

Day 5: The Always of the I AM

Jesus bookended His commission with presence. The One who met Moses at the burning bush now promised perpetual nearness. “Always” covered their failures in Samaria, shipwrecks en route to Rome, and prison cells in Philippi. The disciples’ adequacy wasn’t the point—His abiding was. [59:15]

Your disciple-making falters? His presence doesn’t. You feel unqualified? His “I AM” overrules your “I’m not.”

Where have you relied on your own strength rather than His promised nearness?

“...And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:20b, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for three specific moments this week where you sensed His presence.

Challenge: Memorize Matthew 28:20b—recite it when facing tasks requiring spiritual courage.

Sermon Summary

Matthew 28:16-20 frames the church around one unchanging assignment: make disciples of all nations. The call lands on ordinary, flawed followers who sometimes worship and sometimes doubt, yet who nonetheless obey Jesus’ direction to meet him and then to go. Making disciples centers on three actions: go with intentionality, baptize as the public mark of new life and church belonging, and teach so that knowledge becomes obedient practice. The imperative verb in the original language places the primary weight on making disciples; going, baptizing, and teaching support that single command.

Discipleship requires communal commitment. Baptism identifies a believer both with Christ and with the body of believers, signaling that discipleship is not a solo enterprise but a formation within a people who will shepherd, correct, and encourage. Teaching must aim at obedience, not mere information; true discipleship shapes habits of faith that conform life to Christ’s commands. The task looks impossible if measured by human capacity alone, because hearts change only by divine work. The gospel answers that impossibility by promising Jesus’ presence through the Spirit. The abiding presence of Christ empowers fearful, weak, and ordinary disciples to pursue the Great Commission until the end of the age.

The charge applies across seasons: when leaders change, when congregations shift, when fear and grief come, and when time feels short. The mission does not rest on giftedness or flawless character but on steady obedience to make and nurture followers of Jesus, supported by the whole church and sustained by the Spirit’s presence. The measure of investment lies in whether life and labors help others to follow Christ more faithfully. Only what advances faithful discipleship toward the kingdom will endure when every life is accounted for.

Key Takeaways

1. God calls imperfect disciples God chooses followers who still wrestle with doubt, fear, and failure and calls them into the work of disciple-making. Imperfection does not disqualify participation; it situates the mission within the reality of grace, where weakness becomes the stage for divine strength and conviction. This reality reshapes expectations about who leads, serves, and goes. [36:34]
2. Disciple-making is the core command The primary imperative centers on making disciples, with going, baptizing, and teaching as supporting actions. Framing the mission this way prevents activity for activity’s sake and orients every ministry toward producing committed followers who reproduce faith in others. Prioritizing the verb keeps ministries accountable to spiritual formation, not mere attendance or program growth. [44:58]
3. Baptism marks gospel belonging Baptism publicly identifies a person with Christ and with the covenant community, signaling inward union and outward membership. As a visible rite it locates discipleship inside relationships that will shape obedience, not in private spiritualism. Churches that neglect baptism risk producing isolated believers rather than cultivated disciples. [48:08]
4. The Spirit enables the mission The mission’s feasibility rests on Christ’s promise to be present always through the Spirit, not on human capability. That promised presence converts scarcity of skill into opportunities for dependence, boldness, and perseverance as the Spirit renews hearts and sustains obedience. Ministries anchored in that presence pursue long obedience rather than quick fixes. [54:36]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[28:00] - Scripture Reading: Matthew 28
[34:19] - The Who: Called Imperfect Disciples
[36:34] - Worshiping and Doubting Together
[41:27] - The Core Command: Make Disciples
[45:12] - Go: Intentional Outreach
[48:08] - Baptism: Mark of New Life
[50:49] - Teach: Training for Obedience
[54:36] - How: Empowered by the Spirit
[60:09] - Closing Exhortation: Be About the Work
[68:52] - New Members and Farewell

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV)
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Observation Questions

What two contrasting responses did the disciples have when they saw Jesus on the mountain (v. 17)? How does this relate to the idea that God uses imperfect people? [36:34]
What three actions does Jesus link to the command to “make disciples” (vv. 19-20)?
How does Jesus describe His presence with His followers, and what time frame does He give for it (v. 20)?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus emphasize baptism as part of disciple-making, and how does it connect to belonging in a community? [48:08]
The sermon states that discipleship is not a “solo enterprise.” How does the communal aspect of baptism and teaching guard against isolated faith?
Jesus says, “All authority… has been given to me” before giving the Great Commission. How does His authority shape the urgency or confidence of the mission?

Application Questions

The disciples worshiped and doubted. How do you relate to this tension in your own faith journey? What practical step could help you obey Jesus even when doubts arise? [36:34]
Baptism publicly identifies someone with Christ and His church. How can you actively support new believers in your community to take this step? [48:08]
The sermon says discipleship requires “intentionality, not accident.” Who is one person in your life you could intentionally help follow Jesus this month? What would that look like? [45:12]
Jesus’ presence is promised “always.” How might remembering His nearness change your approach to sharing the gospel in intimidating situations (e.g., work, family, neighbors)? [54:36]
The sermon warns against reducing discipleship to “attendance or program growth.” How can your small group prioritize obedience over mere knowledge in your study time?
What fears or excuses hold you back from disciple-making? How does Jesus’ authority (v. 18) and presence (v. 20) address those barriers?

Sermon Clips

42s

#PresenceOverPower

“The promise of accomplishing the mission of God is not in the power or the significance of the people of God, but it is in the promise of the presence of God given in and through Christ Jesus. There'll be days ahead, I'm sure, that are difficult. It will be for me. I know. It will be for you. But the promise that Jesus gives his people to accomplish his mission is his very own presence. We know from the rest of the New Testament that that the way that Jesus is present amongst his people is by the power of his spirit. He's indwelled the believer. Therefore, he's always with us.”

28s

#OrdinaryDisciples

“You see, the mission of the church was never dependent upon a pastor. It's always been dependent upon these types of people. From the very beginning, when Jesus commissioned his disciples, it's been dependent upon normal, ordinary followers of Jesus who sometimes are worshiping and sometimes they're doubting. Now it doesn't imply that these men who were doubting had no faith at all. They had faith enough to go to the mountain that Jesus had called them to. They had faith enough to obey him.”

47s

#WorshipAndDoubt

“Now that's a very shocking sentence, isn't it? Matthew doesn't sugarcoat what's happening in this moment. He puts worship and he puts worry side by side. He puts worshiping disciples and he puts warying disciples side by side. Some were worshiping, some were doubting. I think that's incredibly significant because the question that we're asking, and I believe that the spirit of God, his intention here in these two verses before we even get to the command, What the holy spirit is showing us is who he calls to be about his work”

39s

#GodUsesYou

“It's a reminder to us who is involved in the mission of God. We are. You are. You are in the times where you're struggling and in the times where everything is great. You are when you're weak and when you're strong. You, if you're a follower of Christ, God intends to use you. He intends to use you. And you might be thinking to yourself, well, there's no way. I'm not gifted enough. I'm too weak. I still struggle with sin. Well, I would just say welcome to the club. Get on it.”

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Heucks Retreat Baptist Church - "What's Next" - Matthew 28:16-20 - April 26, 2026