The following is a manuscript of the sermon presented by Senior Pastor Dr. Roger Patterson on Sunday, February 18, 2024 at our Crosspoint Church-Bellaire campus. To view the sermon in full, check out the link below.

Today we are going to study the A in GREAT – A is for ALL. Notice the word “all,” in Matthew 28:18-20.

Matthew 28:18-20

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.”

We see the word, “all” three times here…

• All authority
• All nations
• All that I have commanded you

In Jesus’ Great Commission of his disciples, he casts the greatest vision ever:

• this message that I have given you is to go to all nations
• I want you to teach them all I have commanded you
• And I want you to know that I have been given ALL authority

I want us to focus on this idea of “All authority,” because as He is sent, we too are sent.

Let’s look at our focal text today. This is John’s version of the Great Commission.

John 20:19-22

¹⁹ On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” ²² And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Notice the last part of verse 21.

Slide: John 20:21b

“As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Notice what Jesus is saying to His disciples.

First – I’ve been sent by the Father.

And that leads me to a question.

Q: Why was Jesus sent by the Father in the first place?

I. Why the Father sent the Son

As you read the Scriptures, you can conclude a number of reasons why Jesus was sent by the Father.

Jesus was sent to…

1. Destroy Satan’s Influence Over Our Lives

Look with me at Genesis 3. You will see this come up a lot in our teaching because it is the very first place where we see a promise from God to give the Son.

Genesis 3:14-15

 The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,
    cursed are you above all livestock
    and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
    and dust you shall eat
    all the days of your life.
¹⁵ I will put enmity between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
    and you shall bruise his heel.”

I prefer the NIV translation because of the word Crush. Look at it in Genesis 3:15.

Genesis 3:15, NIV

And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
    and you will strike his heel.”

What do we see here?

At the moment where God is pronouncing judgment upon Satan, and upon Adam and Eve, He makes the first promise…the Offspring of the Woman will crush or strike or bruise the head of the serpent, while the serpent will strike the heel of the woman’s offspring.

Q: Why did God the Father make this promise?

A: He made this promise because He fully understood what was going to be unleashed on His creation because sin has now entered the picture.

                  Sin

                  Death  

                  Suffering of Every Kind…and He would send the Son to fix it.

And he made this promise at the beginning, and then so much of the story of the Scripture is to show how God fulfilled His promise.

So, as Jesus is sent by God to destroy Satan, we also see that Jesus reveals God to be a Promise Keeper.

Jesus was sent to…

1. Destroy Satan’s Influence Over Our Lives
2. Show God to be a Promise Keeper

That’s why Jesus’ lineage is so important in the Bible.

In Luke’s Gospel, you have Jesus’ lineage presented all the way back to Adam.

Luke 3:23-24

²³ Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, ²⁴ the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,…

Luke 3:38

the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Then, in Matthew’s gospel, you see this opening verse.

Matthew 1:1

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Why in Matthew’s gospel was it important to connect Jesus back to David and then to Abraham?

It was important because of the promises made to both Abraham and to David.

To Abraham, we see in Genesis 12 the promise to make him into a great nation. And God gave him a son, Isaac. And it was going to be through Isaac, not Ishamel, that the Messiah would come. Notice the promise to Isaac.

Genesis 26:4-5

 I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, ⁵ because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

So, Abraham, Isaac and Isaac’s son Jacob are critical to the story.

Then, as you keep going, we see in that lineage, a man name David. And God made David a promise.

Psalm 89:3-4

You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
    I have sworn to David my servant:
⁴ ‘I will establish your offspring forever,
    and build your throne for all generations.’”

Why do the records of Jesus’ genealogy go back to David, then Abraham, and then all the way back to Adam?

Because in fulfilling this promise to destroy Satan, God would send one in Abraham’s line who would bless all the nations of the earth.

And He would send one in David’s line to be a king that would rule on his throne forever.

And as you study Isaiah, you see the promise of one who can fullfill the “Offspring of the woman from Genesis 3 — the offspring of the Virgin, that would come.

Isaiah 7:14b

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

And this Anointed One would be called, “Immanuel, God with us.”

He will be great. And these are the things that were prophesied about him.

So, Jesus was sent to…Destory Satan’s influence over our lives and to show God to be a Promise Keeper…

And as he reveals these things, we also see that Jesus was sent to…

Jesus was sent to…

1. Destroy Satan’s Influence Over Our Lives
2. Show God to be a Promise Keeper
3. Reveal the heart of the Father to the World.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of him so clearly. Here is what is said of his Messiahship and what would describe this Anointed One.

Isaiah 35:5-6

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
    and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
⁶ then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
    and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

This messiah would love Israel and minister to her. He would reveal God’s love; He would be a man full of truth and grace. He would be a king…He would win hearts through love.

Remember Jesus’ words in John 3.

John 3:16-17

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world,^[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

But those who were aligned with the serpent would seek an opportunity to kill him and they found a way…because, remember, the serpent would strike his heel.

John 19:30

 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Satan struck the heel of the Son. He killed him. He thought he had defeated him.

But, that wasn’t the end of this messianic figure. No, the Son was raised from the dead.

Luke 24:1-9

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. ² And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. ⁵ And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷ that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” ⁸ And they remembered his words, ⁹ and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

And the testimony of His resurrection has been spilling forth from that until now.

And here is how the Apostle Paul gives meaning to our lives because of Jesus’ resurrection.

Look at what happens because of the Resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:20-25

²⁰ But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. ²³ But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 

Jesus was sent to…

1. Destroy Satan’s Influence Over Our Lives
2. Show God to be a Promise Keeper
3. Reveal the heart of the Father to the World
4. Bring about the Resurrection of the Dead
5. Subdue all authorities, dominions, and powers
6. Destroy Death

But notice, how I told you, that the reason that Jesus was sent from the Father was to Destroy Satan’s Influence over our lives…

Look to the end of the story with me at the end of the age.

Revelation 20:7-10

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸ and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. ⁹ And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, ¹⁰ and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Do you see that? The devil…was thrown into the lake of fire.

Further, if you keep reading, you see that Death is thrown into the Lake of Fire.

Revelation 20:14

Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

Why did the Father send the Son?

Jesus was sent to…

1. Destroy Satan’s Influence Over Our Lives
2. Show God to be a Promise Keeper
3. Reveal the heart of the Father to the World
4. Bring about the Resurrection of the Dead
5. Subdue all authorities, dominions, and powers
6. Destroy Death

Do you see it?

This is the Grand Narrative of Scripture. This is the BIG Picture, and Jesus is at the center of it at every turn.

But notice also with me how He came.

Remember those words in John 20:21…

“As the Father has sent me…”

John 20:21b

“As the Father has sent me, 

We started with “Why God would send Jesus,” let’s look now at “How the Father send the Son.”

II. How the Father Sent the Son

We have just send amazing descriptions of Jesus as a king, one who will defeat Satan, and one who will reign on David’s throne.

Our expectation along the way is one who is going to come like a warrier…like a super hero…like a champion, and overthrow…

But Jesus takes a different approach.

Have you seen the show Undercover Boss?

This is the reality tv show where a high-ranking executive takes a disguise, an entry level position, and the journey as one who is brand new in a company, and they learn all about what it is like to work in this company.

It’s a fascinating time, as a crew supposedly filming a documentary comes along for the ride. After a week or two, the employees that have been featured in the show are brought to the corporate headquarters for the big reveal. The employees who were exceptional were rewarded. Others are offered more training, while others, in extreme cases, are terminated.

Here’s what is true: Jesus is the ultimate Undercover Boss, emptying himself of his Majesty, and becoming one who is Humble, Dependent, and  Obedient.

Look at how the Apostle Paul describes him.

Philippians 2:5-8

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

As the Father has sent me…

As the Father has sent me…

1. Humility

How – in Humility – thought he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped…

As the Father has sent me…

How – Dependence –

As the Father has sent me…

1. Humility
2. Dependence 

First, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit…as the angel appeared to Mary and she asked how she would become pregnant, the angel said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you…”

Second, we see Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 4:1

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 

How was he led? He was led by the Sprit.

And if Jesus was led by the Sprit, should we also be led by the Spirit?

We covered this last week…

But he came in humility…and he came in a state of dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

And he came to be obedient.

As the Father has sent me…

1. Humility
2. Dependence
3. Obedience

Notice the rest of Philippians 2.

Philippians 2:8

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Jesus came in humility, dependence, and obedience, and He won hearts.

He won hearts through love.

And that’s our charge also…because we have been sent by the Son.

III. How the Son Sends You and Me

Go back to Matthew 28:18 for just a moment.

Look again at the Great Commission.

Slide: Matthew 28:18

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Now, why did he receive all authority?

Because He was obedient to the point of death. Notice this in Philippians 2.

Philippians 2:9-11

 ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

My friends, God has highly exalted him…and he has the name above all names…and he is worthy of worship…all knees will bow and confess that he is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

This moment in history is still to come…and we live in the time in between…between his commission, and his ultimate exaltation.

And that’s why we are commissioned to go…we are to go…

• In his authority
• Teaching All He commanded
• To All Nations

And this one with all authority commands us to go…as he went.

John 20:21b

“As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

So, if He went…

• Humbly
• Dependently
• Obediently

Shouldn’t we as well?

If you want to win someone to Christ, if you just want to be a faithful witness, you must:

• Go Humbly
• Walk Dependent upon the Holy Spirit
• And be willing to be Obedient and go where He is calling us to go.