Go! - Matthew 28:16-20 - April 12, 2026

Apr 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The King Has Conquered Sin and Death

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith. It is not a myth or a legend, but a historical, physical reality that validates everything we believe. Because He conquered sin and death, we have hope and eternal life. This truth is the bedrock upon which we stand, offering forgiveness and a new identity to all who believe. [47:01]

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20 ESV)

Reflection: When you consider the reality of the resurrection, how does it specifically change the way you view a current struggle or fear you are facing?

Day 2: All Authority Belongs to Jesus

The scope of Christ's authority is absolute and encompasses all of creation. He holds power over nature, nations, demons, disease, and even death itself. This is not a partial authority but a complete and total dominion. Our calling and our confidence to go into the world are founded upon this supreme authority. We serve a King who is in control of all things. [54:22]

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’” (Matthew 28:18 ESV)

Reflection: What area of your life or our world feels most out of control, and how can the truth of Christ’s complete authority bring you peace in that area?

Day 3: Go and Make Disciples, Not Just Converts

The mission given to us is one of depth and relationship. We are called to make disciples, which involves a lifelong process of growth and learning. This is more than a one-time decision; it is about walking with others, teaching them to obey Christ, and helping them become more like Him. Discipleship is the intentional work of fostering spiritual maturity in ourselves and others. [01:05:07]

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19a ESV)

Reflection: Who is one person in your life you could intentionally invest in to help them grow in their relationship with Jesus, and what would be a first step in that process?

Day 4: The Call to Obedient Baptism

Baptism is a vital first step of obedience for every believer. It is a public declaration that the old life of sin is buried and we have been raised to new life in Christ. This act unifies us under the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, marking us as part of God’s family. It is an outward symbol of an inward, transformative reality. [01:09:12]

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

Reflection: If you have not been baptized, what is holding you back from taking this step of obedience? If you have, how does remembering your baptism encourage you in your walk today?

Day 5: Sent with the Promise of His Presence

We are never sent out alone. The command to go is coupled with the everlasting promise of Christ’s presence. He is with us by His Spirit, empowering and guiding us as we fulfill the mission. This divine companionship turns a daunting task into a joyful privilege, assuring us that we are never on our own. [01:16:25]

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

Reflection: Where is one place—perhaps a workplace, neighborhood, or relationship—where you feel hesitant to share your faith, and how can the promise of Christ’s constant presence change your approach?

Sermon Summary

Matthew’s final scene unfolds as the decisive call to action rooted in the resurrection. The account portrays honest witnesses who worshiped Jesus even while some still doubted, and uses that tension to show Scripture’s trustworthiness and the possibility of growing through doubt. Authority anchors the commission: because Jesus possesses all authority over nature, nations, demons, disease, sin, death, and human life, the disciples receive a clear mandate to go. The Greek imperative “go” functions as a real command—leave comfort and move into mission—grounded not in human ambition but in the king’s achieved victory.

The commission itself sets a high bar: make disciples of all nations, not merely secure conversions. Discipleship appears as long-term formation that includes teaching, communal life, and obedience to Christ’s commands. Baptism serves as the immediate, public sign that one has died to the old self and risen into new life in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—a unifying rite that marks belonging to one church under one head. Teaching emphasizes obedience as the fruit of genuine faith; commands become life-giving pointers rather than burdens when loved obedience flows from transformation.

Practical posture matters: mission requires relational investment, steady teaching, and visible obedience from those who lead and disciple. The promise that Jesus accompanies his people “to the end of the age” removes the notion of lone effort—the Spirit prepares hearts and the king’s authority secures the outcome. The text closes with an invitation that presses both the called and the unconverted: the king has come, the king has conquered, the king commissions and sends. The appropriate response lies in moving under his authority to make and nurture disciples, baptized into the triune name, walking in obedience as evidence of new life.

Key Takeaways

1. Doubt is a speed bump Doubts do not cancel faith; they often mark a stage of learning and maturation. Scripture records disciples who worshiped while still doubting to show honesty and to invite continued formation. Allowing doubt to prompt questions, not retreat, opens space for deeper confession and trust. [51:00]
2. Jesus has all authority The resurrection stands as the decisive act that vests Jesus with authority over nature, nations, demons, disease, sin, and death. That authority grounds mission: the charge to go issues from one who has conquered the powers that enslave humanity. Going therefore flows from confidence in the king’s rule, not human power or strategy. [54:22]
3. Go means leave and serve “Go” functions as an imperative to depart from comfort and to enter service under Christ’s authority. The call echoes Abraham’s summons to leave the familiar and step into mission-shaped dependence on God. Obedient departure frames mission as disposition more than program: presence, vulnerability, and sustained engagement. [62:41]
4. Make disciples, not mere converts The commission prioritizes long-term formation over one-time decisions; discipleship shapes identity, habits, and loyalties. True disciple-making invests in teaching, communal life, and example—spiritual parenting more than transactional outreach. The aim remains whole-life transformation into Christ’s image across seasons of struggle and growth. [64:45]
5. Obedience reveals genuine faith Obedience emerges as the natural outflow of conversion, not a burdensome add-on; it proves the reality of new life. Teaching new believers to follow Christ’s commands anchors discipleship in practical holiness rather than mere belief statements. Visible obedience wins credibility for those who go and points others to the gospel’s power. [74:02]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[13:44] - Easter preparations and thanks
[18:30] - Praises and prayer requests
[45:42] - Finishing Matthew; preview of Daniel
[47:01] - Resurrection as the foundation
[49:45] - Introducing the Great Commission
[51:00] - Doubt: a speed bump, not a wall
[54:22] - Jesus’ authority explained
[62:41] - “Go” means go: the call to leave
[64:45] - Make disciples; baptism explained
[74:02] - Obedience as evidence of faith
[76:25] - Accompanied by Christ always
[81:55] - Final call and invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV)
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.”

Observation questions

What was the mixed reaction of the disciples when they saw the resurrected Jesus on the mountain?
What is the foundational claim Jesus makes about himself before giving the command?
What are the three specific actions that make up the process of "making disciples"?
What is the final, ongoing promise Jesus gives to those who carry out this command?

Interpretation questions

The text says "some doubted" even as they worshiped. What does this tension between worship and doubt reveal about the nature of faith and the honesty of Scripture? [51:00]
Jesus grounds the command to "go" in His "all authority." Why is it crucial that our mission starts with His authority and not our own plans or strength? [54:22]
The command is to "make disciples," not just "make converts." What is the difference between a one-time decision and the long-term process of discipleship? [01:04:45]
How does the promise of Jesus's constant presence change the way we view the daunting task of making disciples of all nations?

Application questions

Doubts are often treated as a wall that stops faith, but they can be a speed bump that leads to deeper trust. [51:55] What is a doubt or hard question you’ve had about God, the Bible, or faith? Who is a safe person you could talk with about it to help you move forward?
"Go" is an imperative that means to leave our comfort and step into mission. [01:02:41] What is one "comfortable" routine or relationship God might be asking you to leave behind to better serve Him or share His love with someone else?
Making disciples involves long-term investment in people, not just sharing the gospel once. [01:05:07] Who is one person in your life you could begin to intentionally invest in, teaching them to follow Jesus and obey His commands? What would be a first step?
Obedience to Christ’s commands is not a burden but the natural result of a transformed life. [01:14:02] Is there a specific command of Jesus you find difficult to obey? What would it look like to rely on His strength and love, rather than your own willpower, to follow Him in that area?
We are never alone in this mission because Jesus promises to be with us always. [01:16:25] How does remembering His constant presence change your feelings about sharing your faith with a neighbor, coworker, or family member?
The king has come, conquered, and commissioned us. [01:18:27] What is one tangible way you can respond to His commission this week in your home, workplace, or community?

Sermon Clips

37s

#DontJustWaitShare

“If you remember a few weeks back when we talked about some end we talked about the little apocalypse here in Matthew, and I said, I I'm not a big end times fan because most of the people that I've known in my life that are big into the end times totally ignore evangelism. It's all about knowing the end. It's all but this scripture right here tells me, like, if how often I don't know how often you've said it, but I've said, like, come lord Jesus. Like, we look around at this world and we see the nonsense going on. We see the wars. We see all the stuff. We see kids being abused. We see all this junk that doesn't make any sense and we just say, come lord Jesus.”

29s

#SpreadGospelWorldwide

“You want Jesus to come back? Start telling people the gospel. It's in black and white that the gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come. You wanna see Jesus come? Let's start spreading the gospel. Let's do tell people who Jesus is. Let's get the word out. Let's take it worldwide to every nation because he has that authority over every life and we see this play out as well in this next path in the next part of the passage.”

38s

#HonestScriptureIncludesDoubt

“And when they saw him, they worshiped him. And this verse for me is one of the proofs of the validity and the truth of scripture. Because if we were trying to tell a myth, if we were just trying to tell a tale to get people to believe in this Jesus who didn't really rise from the dead, who really wasn't who he said he was, those next three words wouldn't be in there, but some doubted. This is the honesty of scripture, and this is why I think scripture can be trusted because things like this are in it. Because if I'm trying to get you to believe a story that's not true, I'm not gonna let you think other people doubted it.”

31s

#DoubtIsASpeedBump

“Right? I'm gonna I wanna make you feel silly if you doubt what I'm telling you, if I'm trying to convince you of something that's not true. Right? If I'm trying to manipulate you into a belief that's not there. But for for the writers of the gospels to put this in there, they worshiped him but some doubted. For me, that just proves the validity of the scripture because here they are and also church, take comfort in this that doubts can be overcome. I think so often in the church, we treat doubts as a wall when they're really just a speed bump.”

42s

#GospelIsTheCure

“I mean, if if we have been so radically changed by Christ that we've went from death to life, should that not be the conversation we wanna have with everybody? Now we often equate it to if you had the cure for cancer, wouldn't you tell people? Well, the number one cause of death is sin, and we have the answer in Jesus Christ. Everyone's gonna die because of sin, and we have the answer to that through Jesus Christ for eternal life in the gospel. That should be the number one thing that we wanna tell people.”

36s

#GoUnderHisAuthority

“And here's the best part of all this. That's why he tells them, all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. So that means we go under his authority, not our own. So we're going in the name of Jesus Christ, not our own. He says, 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 till the end of the age. So, here's the best part about the great commission is we don't go alone. He has told us to go but he is going with us.”

32s

#DiscipleshipIsRelational

“Now, throughout our life, as we grow closer to him, we have progressive sanctification. That is this discipleship process. But the thing is usually with discipleship, it doesn't happen by yourself. Right? So Jesus is telling his disciples, don't just go preach the gospel. Don't just go tell people who I am. Don't just go get a convert and move on to the next person. Go and teach people who I am. Live with these people. Show them who I am. Teach them who I am so that they can be more like me and disciples make disciples.”

39s

#BaptizedInTheTrinity

“Why does he tell them to baptize them in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit? Well, one, he's telling them to baptize them in the trinity because that is an important part of this. The father, the son, and the holy spirit. Now I know the word trinity never appears in the in the scriptures, but there's the trinity right there. Because if not, then we get when we get to the epistles and Paul's talking about, like, well, you we were all baptized into Christ because people are arguing that Paul baptized me or Apollo's baptized me. This is this is a unifying factor that we are all baptized in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit because there is one church.”

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