Jesus: Lord of All
Today we will take a fresh look at the “axiom” of our Christian worldview—God’s Word—and how it speaks truthfully and authoritatively to every part of life. Our resurrected Lord has all authority in heaven and on earth, and as His disciples, we are charged to teach the nations to obey everything in His Word (Matthew 28:18-20). In this message we will explore what it means to “make disciples of all nations” and what it looks like when we “obey everything Jesus commanded” in every sphere of society!
SERIES TEXTS
- RENEW YOUR MIND: Romans 12:1-2, “1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
- DEFEND THE GOSPEL: 1 Peter 3:15-16, “15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer (apologia) to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
- DEMOLISH DEMONIC STRONGHOLDS: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, “3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
SERIES DEFINITIONS
- WORLDVIEW: How you see the world and give an explanation for everything you believe.
- A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW: Seeing the world through the lens of God and His Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
- Axiom: God exists and has revealed the Bible (sixty-six books) as the foundation for all truth and knowledge.
- Presuppositions: The Word of God gives the following six categories of knowledge; “God, creation, humanity, Jesus, salvation, and judgment.”
- Propositions: All implications derived from good biblical exegesis and deductive logic.
- Best Guesses: All claims based in induction; the scientific method and experience.
- EXAMPLE OF USING THE BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW IN REGARDS TO HOMOSEXUALITY: “Since God’s Word is my foundation (axiom) for all truth and knowledge I presuppose that God has an order for sexuality and make the proposition that it’s a sin and people who act in such a way will perish based on 1 Timothy 1:8-11.
Check our Presuppositional Apologetics Class for more information.
SERMON TEXT
Matthew 28:18-20, “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
AUTHORITY TO DISCIPLE THE NATIONS
1. All authority… has been given to me: In the beginning, mankind was made to rule the earth as God’s representatives (Genesis 1:28). But by disobeying God and being deceived by Satan, mankind has lost touch with God and lost control of the earth. God’s answer was to send His Son, to come in the flesh, made in human likeness, to live without sin, to die for sins, and to conquer death in the resurrection. As a result, Jesus—“the God-Man”— has been given the name above all names, and is seated at the right hand of Power, above all rule and authority (Acts 2:32-34; Ephesians 1:18-21). He has regained the dominion that mankind lost in the Garden of Eden. Jesus Christ has all authority to fill the earth with disciples and subdue the nations for God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).
2. In heaven: Jesus reigns in heaven, where angels and elders ceaselessly sing His praises and everything is in His alignment with His perfect design. There is no sin, no sorrow and no sickness where Jesus’ lordship is fully established – only perfect order, joy and peace.
3. And on earth: Jesus not only reigns in the ethereal realm we call heaven, but He rules over the earth right now! The nations are the possession of Jesus, given to Him by the Father. Yet the main reason we still see so much evil and tragedy in this world is that the nations and their rulers are in rebellion to their Lord (Psalm 2). God is being patient with the wicked, giving them the opportunity to surrender, but the day will come when we destroy the wicked and establish His reign forever (2 Peter 3:9).
4. Therefore go: Until His return, Jesus is extending His rule on the earth by the preaching and teaching of His disciples. He is sending us out into the world with His authority!
5. Make disciples of all nations: For now, Jesus’ lordship is not established by the sword or by political maneuvering. Jesus’ strategy to change the world is by changing the hearts of sinful men and teaching them His righteous ways. It is a “bottom up” approach that starts with individuals and households, but goes on to impact institutions, governments and societies as more and more disciples are made.
6. Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you: When someone becomes a disciple of Christ, they surrender fully to His lordship and seek to align their lives with His teachings. The extent of Jesus’ teaching goes well beyond one’s spiritual disciplines and personal morals—He is not merely concerned with what goes on in church services and prayer closets. Jesus’ teachings—contained in the whole Bible—are binding in the home, the workplace, the community, and in society at large. Jesus has authority in the church, but also in the world—in government, education, media, etc. There is nothing truly secular and there is no neutral ground. Wherever Jesus is not acknowledged as Lord, you will find a competing worldview and something or someone else claiming lordship in that sphere. Thus, the Christian disciple cannot leave his or her worldview in the church. Obeying Jesus’ teachings means that we seek to bring everything around us under the lordship of Jesus.
APPLICATION
1. Know your axiom: Today, many Christians find themselves woefully unprepared to make disciples and impact the world because they don’t know their own faith well enough. A recent major survey of American Evangelicals shows how many professing Christians are either “not sure” about or flat out “disagree” with the core doctrines of the Bible! How can anyone teach others to obey what they themselves are not sure of or aren’t in agreement with? The result is that Christians cannot defend their views or properly analyze anything from a biblical perspective. They have no defense when their faith is attacked and they must allow the world to direct the narrative on life’s biggest issues, simply because they don’t know what the Bible says about them. We as Disciples of Christ must become deeply familiar our axiom: the Bible. We should get to know its story, its core teachings, its “tough texts,” how it was written and how it was passed on to us. Most importantly, we must be confident that it is the very Word of God and speaks to truth to every part of our lives (2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
2. Live in holiness and excellence: Every disciple should seek to live pure and holy lives, not only for the sake of their relationship with God, but to “make the teaching about God our Savior attractive” to outsiders (Titus 2:10). God’s Word not only teaches us good morals, but also wisdom—how to be “people smart” and excel in all our endeavors. A great example of this was Daniel, a godly young man who served the in the palace of the king of Babylon. Daniel never compromised his standards and often went against the grain of the wicked culture, but nevertheless had a reputation for having “every matter of wisdom and understanding” and caused even the pagan king to give glory to his God (Daniel 1:20; 4:2-3, 34-35). When we live in holiness and excellence, it will serve to increase, not only our influence, but also the influence of the Kingdom of God.
3. Be bold: “The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1). Disciples of Christ should be the boldest and most articulate about what they believe in. When asked about the hope we have in Christ, we must be ready to give an answer with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). When wickedness and error are flaunted, we must boldly correct it with God’s truth. Many Christians are afraid of turning people off in this way, because they mistake boldness for “pushiness” and “arrogance.” But God will not use our cowardice and vagueness to draw people to himself. That may win some goats, but true disciples will be attracted to our courage and passion!
When we make disciples of all nations, we are partnering with God to answer the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:10: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”