Ep 142 | Cover to Cover 21 | Pastor Chris Ryan | May 24, 2026

Hello, this is Pastor Ryan Clark.

You are listening to a message from St.

John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota.

Oh Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praises in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Whoa, man, so embarrassing.

You hate to see someone drop the baton like that, don't you? A baton is something that's used in the world of track and field.

On the track, there is something called relay races where four people try to get this here baton around that track as fast as their God-given abilities will allow.

In your typical relay race, there are three exchanges or handoffs of the baton, and it should be so easy, right? As simple as that.

But a whole lot can go wrong during these handoffs.

Sometimes people hand off the baton too early.

There is a 30-meter exchange zone on the track where the baton handoff must occur.

It doesn't matter how fast your team gets around that track.

If they hand off before that zone, they will be disqualified.

Sometimes people hand off the baton too late.

They wait until after that exchange zone to hand it off.

Anyone here love the Olympics like me? I am always glued to the Summer Olympics.

2024, the United States men's team had four of the fastest eight 100-meter runners in the world.

Guess what medal they got in the men's four by 100-meter relay? It wasn't gold, it wasn't silver, it wasn't bronze.

They were disqualified because they handed off the baton too late on their first exchange.

Sometimes people hand off the baton too hard.

It's just a chunk of metal right here, right? If I am sprinting and I run and I try to hand it off so hard, it's gonna hit on someone's hands and ouch.

It's gonna be tough to hang on to, and that leads to a drop.

In the 2008 Olympics, the US men and women's team had four of the seven fastest 100-meter runners in the world.

Guess what medal they got at the Olympics? Once again, they were disqualified because they handed off the baton too hard and it led to a drop.

Actually, if you see right up there right now, that's a picture of the men's team dropping the baton in 2008.

And the truth is, we don't wanna be like that guy, do we? We don't want our mistakes to lead to someone else getting disqualified.

Which is why I think we should be paying very, very close attention to what is going on right now in our two-year Bible read-through, where the Book of Deuteronomy exchanges into the Book of Joshua.

We have an absolutely flawless passing of the baton, the baton of faith between Moses and Joshua.

And my friends, we are called to be like Moses and have Joshuas of our own because if you believe in Jesus and have been baptized, I promise you, you have the baton of faith in your hands right now.

It is actually there, and you are not to keep that to yourself.

You are a part of a great big relay race.

Let's see how this exchange occurred from Deuteronomy 31.

It says, "Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: 'I am now 120 years old, and I am no longer able to lead you.

The Lord has said to me, "You shall not cross the Jordan."'"

A 120-year-old Moses is set to retire, not because of some physical deterioration.

No.

At 120, actually, the Book of Deuteronomy ends with him climbing a mountain.

He's in pretty good shape if he can do that.

No, he's set to retire and, frankly, be called home to the Lord because of his sin that occurred in Numbers 20, that story with the water and the rock.

Moses has to find a replacement, someone who will stand where he stood, someone who will lead Israel the way that he did, who will share his faith with the Israelites, who will mentor God's people Israel, and God says that special someone is to be Joshua.

He mentions that several times over.

And in God's good, great, and perfect timing, Moses has been sharing his faith with, he's been pouring into Joshua, he's been mentoring him for years.

And like I said, St.

John's family, we are called to have Joshuas of our own.

We are called to have people we share our faith with and then not just leave them, we pour into them, we mentor them, we teach them and show them again and again what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus.

And if you don't believe me, well, at least believe Jesus.

In the last two verses of Matthew, he says, "Therefore go 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 I have commanded you."

Does Jesus just speak those words to the 11 disciples that were gathered to him on that day? No, the Great Commission, as this is called, is not just for them.

Well, is it just for pastors and Sunday school teachers? Is it their job to teach people about the faith and share what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus? No, it's more than that.

Jesus speaks these words to his disciples and those who would become his disciples.

That's you.

That's me.

We have all been given this commission.

As I said, we are all to be as Moses was to Joshua to some people in our lives.

You say, "Pastor Ryan, that's nice, but who am I to do something like that? I mean, are you kidding me? I don't know enough.

I'm not smart enough to teach somebody all those biblical facts.

And frankly, I'm a nobody compared to Moses.

Of course, people listen to him, Pastor.

I mean, look at all the amazing things God did through Moses.

But nobody's gonna listen to a nobody like me."

You know, it's funny that you say all that actually, because you know who you sound an awful lot like right now? You sound an awful lot like Moses.

When God comes to Moses in that burning bush in Exodus 3 and 4 and tells Moses that he has this commission to share his faith with and teach the people of Israel, Moses says, "Who, me? I'm a nobody.

I don't have the skills to do something like that, God.

I don't talk well.

I'm not a good public speaker."

And then he actually says, "God, you should probably send someone else."

By the way, he's not the only biblical person to react that way to God's commission.

There's quite a few.

King Solomon, when God shows up to Solomon in a dream and tells Solomon he's got basically the same commission as Moses, Solomon says, "But I'm only a little child.

I don't know how to carry out my duties."

Basically, how am I supposed to do a big task like that and share my faith with and mentor people when I still feel like a little kid myself? Anyone still feel like a little kid themselves at times? Isaiah, God's prophet, when God shows up to him and tells Isaiah that he has this same commission to share his faith with and lead the people of Israel and mentor them in that faith, he hits the deck.

He's on all fours and he says, "Woe to me! I am ruined, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."

God, I am not worthy of this task that you're giving to me.

The truth is, if you feel like a nobody and unworthy of sharing the faith with and mentoring people, you're not alone.

You're in really good company.

But just because you feel that way doesn't mean that the Great Commission doesn't apply to you.

It applies to all followers of Jesus.

You say, "Pastor Ryan, that's nice, but it's not just that I feel like a nobody.

It's my past.

Why would someone listen to someone like me considering the things that I've done? Pastor Ryan, I'm not just a nobody, I'm a no-good nobody."

Interesting that you say that, 'cause you know who you sound like right now? You sound like the Apostle Peter.

We're celebrating Pentecost today, right? On that first Pentecost, God works through the Apostle Peter to preach a sermon that's so powerful that 3,000 people receive Jesus upon its conclusion.

Not a bad sermon at all, right? Now, I'm trying to remember, 50 days before that sermon, what was Peter doing? I can't quite...

Oh, yeah, he was turning his back on Jesus and denying that he even knew Jesus in Jesus' biggest moment of need the very night that he was betrayed.

Fast-forward 50 days.

God is working through him to carry out the Great Commission in incredible ways.

This fisherman, this no-good nobody.

The truth is, as we look at Isaiah, as we look at Moses, as we look at Solomon, as we look at Peter, as we look at everybody that God uses for the Great Commission, we're all no-good nobodies.

When it comes to the Great Commission, and this is my very important point of the day, God doesn't call the qualified.

No one is.

He qualifies and equips the called.

He gives us the skills that we need in many and various ways to live out that Great Commission.

To Moses, He gives the assistance of Aaron, who holds up the prophet's hands, doesn't he? Aaron acts as Moses' mouthpiece.

To Solomon, He gives a boatload of wisdom, doesn't He, to carry out that commission.

To Isaiah, there's this fun little scene that I'm looking forward to you reading in your two-year Bible read-through, where God uses this burning coal to purify and absorb all of that sin out of Isaiah and make Isaiah ready to say, "Here am I.

Send me.

Send me."

What did He give to Peter? He gives Peter His Holy Spirit, the Helper, who gives Peter the right words to say that lead to three thousand people receiving Jesus.

And by the way, we get that same Holy Spirit because of Jesus.

We don't deserve Him at all, but Jesus lives a perfect, sinless life, and then He dies on the cross, the perfect sacrifice for you and for me.

He removes the separation that was between you and God, and now God can and does dwell in you with His Holy Spirit.

The same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is in you, and He is helping you pass the baton of faith.

Let that bolster your faith.

And hear the same words in Deuteronomy 31:6, our highlighted verse of the day, that Joshua hears when that baton is passed to him, and he is called to live out this commission.

Deuteronomy 31:6

At the moment, he receives the Spirit of the Lord.

These words apply to us, too, as we live out the Great Commission.

"Be strong and courageous.

Do not be afraid or terrified because of them.

For the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

Those words are oh so true as you share your faith with others, as you teach others what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus.

You say, "Well, Pastor Ryan, I get it.

That's some good preaching going on up there.

But just because God is always with me doesn't mean that it always works when I share my faith.

I've shared the faith.

I've tried to teach people, but sometimes people don't listen to me at all.

They reject everything that I'm saying.

What's up with that? If the Holy Spirit, if He is with me, what's going on? Why am I failing when I share my faith with others?" I hear you.

And if you feel like you have failed as you have lived out this great commission and in earnestness have tried to share your faith with others, listen and take solace in the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3.

He says, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow."

In other words, just like a farmer can do all of the right things with a seed, make sure it gets the right amount of water, the perfect amount of sunshine, and at the end of the day, it still might not grow because the farmer can't make that seed grow on his own efforts.

We can't make the faith grow on our own efforts.

You can't grow faith.

Only God does that.

Your job is to just plant the seed, to share the faith with others, and then to water it and teach them about that faith.

You can't make it grow.

Only God does that.

Don't feel like a failure if you shared the gospel and it was rejected.

The true failure would be to never share it at all Now, with all of that in mind, just like there are some things a farmer can do to create the right environment for a seed to grow, there are some things that we can do that help people receive that baton of faith more readily, and these should look pretty familiar.

The first thing we can do to help people receive that baton of faith more readily is not hand off the baton too early.

And the main way I've seen people do this in my life is by completely outsourcing the second part of the Great Commission, by outsourcing the job of teaching away from themselves.

Sometimes people outsource the work of teaching entirely to God.

You say, "Pastor Ryan, that doesn't sound that bad to me.

Aren't we to fully rely on God and let God be God?" Well, that's true, but take a second here and listen to what I mean.

Sometimes we've seen it where parents will bring their children to be baptized.

They'll drive in, they'll have the big baptism party afterwards maybe.

The kid gets baptized, and they say, "Well, I've done it.

My work here, it's done.

I got the kid baptized.

He received or she received everything that Jesus won for them on the cross, and now I'm gonna let God be God," and guess the next time when we see them is? The next time they have a kid that gets baptized It's admirable to let God be God.

But when we fail to teach the children in our lives anything about Jesus, thinking that all they need is that baptism, we're not living out the second portion of that Great Commission at all.

We're certainly not telling them the Gospel and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus has commanded them.

When it comes to Moses and Joshua, Moses didn't just have Joshua get dropped off at the tabernacle and say, "All right, God be God.

My work here is done."

He didn't just lay his hands on Joshua and have Joshua receive the Spirit of the Lord and say, "My work is done."

No, he taught Joshua again and again and again, day after day, what it looks like to be a follower of God.

Sometimes we outsource the work of teaching not just to God, but entirely to other people.

I've seen parents do this with their children.

I've seen grandparents do this with their grandchildren.

I've seen people do this with that friend, neighbor, family member, coworker that they invited to church, and God bless them, they actually came.

They're sitting here in the pews and they say, "Wow, look at that.

I've done my part.

Now, Pastor Ryan, Pastor Clark, it's your turn.

Teach them all those things they need to know.

You do your work.

I got them here in the pews, and now I'm gonna let you do your thing up there.

My work here is done."

Look, I'm always trying to do my thing up here.

It doesn't always go well, I'll be honest with you.

And the truth is, the best person, possibly the most effective teacher, is the one who has the closest relationship with the person that they invited.

Even if they come every week, I'm gonna get to see them for one hour.

You probably get to see them a whole lot more than that, don't you? You get to speak into their lives a whole lot more than that.

Don't stop teaching just because they've come to church once or twice.

Continuously live out what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus in front of them.

Take every chance you can to show and tell them what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Sometimes we outsource the work of teaching to God, to others entirely, and maybe the most sinister one of all, sometimes we outsource the work of teaching to the new believer.

I've had parents say this exact quote to me.

They say, "I believe in Jesus, but I'm not gonna force my religion on my kids.

I want them to choose for themselves."

It is so admirable to want your kids to have a faith of their own, to want your grandkids to have a faith of their own.

You should want that.

I've had people say this, and they'll say, "Well, and I don't wanna indoctrinate my kids.

I don't wanna be too pushy."

Guess what? It's our job to indoctrinate the kids in our lives.

The Bible is very clear about that.

Moses in Deuteronomy 6 says, "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts, and press them on your children.

Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Every chance you can, share the good news with them, and show and tell them what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus.

Don't take the two or three steps back and say, "I don't wanna be too pushy now."

When we are outwardly passive about our faith, the children, and frankly the people in our lives, will take our silence as a sign that faith simply is not that important to us, and we don't want that at all, now do we? And once again, when it comes to Moses and Joshua, Moses talked about the faith with Joshua every opportunity that he could find.

He didn't just hand Joshua the Torah and say, "Everything you need to know is in there, all right? You do what you need to do now.

This is yours."

No, he continuously talked to him about the faith and what it looked like to follow God again, and again, and again.

We certainly don't want to hand off the baton too early.

On the flip side, and I think this is the one that maybe happens the most often out of these three, we don't want to hand off the baton too late.

Sometimes we wait to share our faith longer than we should.

I've seen people do this with the children in their lives.

They say, "Well, they're, they're just too little to understand all the big concepts in the faith.

I'll teach them when they're older, when they can understand, and when they can listen a little better.

They can't sit still for a single second.

I can't really talk to them about any of this stuff.

I've tried, and, well, it doesn't go well."

I sympathize with you, I promise.

I empathize with you.

I really do.

The family devotion time can be, it's strugglesome sometimes.

And yes, you might look at your kids and say, "They're so little.

They can't understand some of these abstract concepts that we talk about."

But don't underestimate them.

There are certainly things that they can understand, and frankly, we're called to have childlike faith, which means I think we should be a little bit more like them sometimes, shouldn't we? There are absolutely things they can understand.

When Catherine and I are out walking on a hike in nature with the kids, a lot of times what we like to do is point to things and say, "Wow, what an amazing thing God has made.

Isn't His creation wonderful? What's something that you like in His creation, Nathan or Cooper?" They can understand that.

They can understand what it looks like to model forgiveness.

They live that out when you do that for them, when you use those words, "I forgive you."

Or maybe more important, "Will you forgive me for what I've done?" The time to start teaching the kids in our life, it's right now.

Sometimes we wait to share our faith with the children.

Sometimes we wait to share the faith until that perfect time.

We wait for the stars to align.

There's that person in our life who we know isn't walking with the Lord, and we say, "Well, I'll tell them when they're ready," right? "I'll tell them when the stars align.

I'll tell them when they hit rock bottom, then they'll be more willing to listen to me."

The truth is, the perfect time, it might never come along.

At least you might never see it knowingly.

Life is pretty fragile, isn't it? I'm not a NASCAR fan, but I was watching SportsCenter this week and I saw that NASCAR driver who died at the age of forty-one.

He won the race last week.

He was in the prime of his life, wasn't he? And just like that, he's gone.

We don't know when our time is up, do we? We don't know when that person who we've waited to share our faith with, we don't know when their time is up.

Life is fragile.

The time to share your faith is right here, right now.

Don't wait too long to hand off that baton.

We don't wanna hand it off too early, we don't wanna hand it off too late, and we don't wanna hand off that baton too hard because that leads to a drop, doesn't it? We don't wanna do what I might call shoving the dove.

A couple of major ways I've seen people do this is by beating people over the head with the law.

They don't hesitate for a second to tell people that they need Jesus, right? Because they're such a great sinner, and they focus on that sin again and again and again.

Don't forget the second part of that message, right? They may be a great sinner, but they have an even greater Savior in Jesus Christ.

We also shove the dove when we keep on preaching to people who have clearly rejected the message in the moment.

Sometimes you'll be sharing your faith with someone, telling them about Jesus, and they'll say, "Stop.

I don't wanna hear about this right now."

And you get aggressively rebuffed.

You know what you should do when you get aggressively rebuffed when you're sharing the faith? You should stop talking about it.

A lot of times we're gonna do more harm than good in that situation.

Does that mean you give up on the person? No, no, no.

Keep on praying for them.

Look for other opportunities to share your faith with them on another day.

Be like Jesus who leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one.

But in that moment, it'd probably be best to start talking about something else, at least for the time being When it comes to these baton exchange errors, as we close out this message, my guess here is that every single person here has made at least one of them.

I know I have, right? Sometimes we outsource that work of teaching away from us.

"That's not my job.

I'm not qualified for that."

Sometimes we hand off the baton too late, don't we? We wait for that perfect time to come along.

Sometimes we hand off that baton too hard, and it leads to a drop, which can be pretty embarrassing, right? If you have made any of these errors when you've been living out that Great Commission, listen to the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3.

He says, "Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

My friends, we are called to forget almost everything that is behind us, aren't we? Jesus doesn't want you to hold on to the shame and guilt of those sins of your past, of your baton exchange failures.

He doesn't want you to hold onto them because He forgave each and every one of them on the cross.

They're all forgiven.

He wants to take that shame and guilt away from you.

The only thing He wants you to focus on in the past is that cross and what He did on it just for you.

He also wants us not to forget that we are to strain towards what is ahead.

As long as you are still breathing, you still have that baton of faith in your hand, and you are still a part of this relay race.

And so St.

John's family, my prayer for you this week is this: may you live out that Great Commission.

In response to Jesus' great love for you, may you share the faith with others.

In response and with a thankful heart that Jesus sent someone to pass that baton to you, may you live out that Great Commission.

And in response to a perishing world around you, may you do this with the love of Christ within you, thanks to the Holy Spirit working through you.

May you do this in Jesus' name.

Amen You've been listening to a sermon from St.

John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota.

If you would like more information about St.

John's and any of our ministries to our community and beyond, you can go to our website, www.

stjohnsbuffalo.

org.

Thank you and God bless you.