All in Jesus: Trinity, Authority, and Great Commission

Devotional

Day 1: The Triune God Hovering Over Creation’s Waters

The Trinity’s fingerprints mark every corner of creation. Before light pierced darkness, the Spirit hovered over primordial waters while the Father spoke through the eternal Word—Christ Himself. This collaborative act reveals a God who works in unity yet distinct roles: Father initiating, Son enacting, Spirit nurturing. Just as they shaped galaxies from chaos, they reshape broken lives through baptismal waters. Their shared authority spans from Eden’s soil to your daily struggles. [52:11]

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis 1:1-3, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you see the Trinity’s collaborative work in your own story—Father’s purpose, Son’s redemption, Spirit’s renewal? How might their creative unity inspire your relationships?

Day 2: Bruising the Serpent’s Head in the Garden’s Dust

Victory was promised in Eden’s wreckage. God declared enmity between the serpent and the woman’s offspring—a prophecy fulfilled when Christ’s heel was pierced, yet Satan’s head crushed. This cosmic battle isn’t abstract: Jesus absorbed hell’s venom so your shame could die. His resurrection proves the serpent’s fangs are pulled, leaving only a defeated hiss. [53:36]

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. (Genesis 3:15, ESV)

Reflection: What “heel wound” do you nurse that Jesus’ resurrection redefines as a mark of Satan’s defeat? How does His victory shift your view of current struggles?

Day 3: Baptizing Nations into the Name That Is Three-in-One

Baptism drowns old identities in Triune life. Submerged into Father, Son, and Spirit, believers emerge wearing Christ’s righteousness like a second skin. This isn’t mere ritual—it’s adoption into the divine family. As the Jordan River once clung to Jesus’ baptized body, grace now clings to you, making every step a witness. [01:00:13]

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. (Matthew 28:19, ESV)

Reflection: Whose story of shame or isolation is the Trinity prompting you to invite into baptismal kinship? How does your own baptismal identity free you to ask them?

Day 4: Teaching All Commands with the Authority of the Word

Christ’s commands aren’t suggestions—they’re the architecture of reality. As the Word made flesh, He sculpted galaxies with syllables and now reshapes hearts through Scripture. To “teach all He commanded” is to hand others the Creator’s blueprint, showing cracked walls where His grace rebuilds. Every verse whispers His presence. [01:00:59]

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1,14, ESV)

Reflection: Which of Jesus’ harder teachings have you been tempted to edit—and what might keeping them intact reveal about His trustworthiness?

Day 5: Walking Roads Where the Always-Present Christ Leads

Omnipresence isn’t just doctrine—it’s the comfort of footsteps beside you. The risen Christ, scarred hands still steering history, needs no chariot to reach you. He’s in the ICU’s beeps, the job interview’s silence, the grief’s raw ache. His “always” outlasts every tomb, turning dead ends into resurrection trails. [01:02:43]

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

Reflection: What lonely path have you been walking as if He’s distant? How might His promised nearness alter your next step—or your willingness to take it?

Sermon Summary

Matthew’s closing scene sets the agenda with the little word all. Christ receives “all authority in heaven and on earth,” calls for disciples from “all nations,” commands that “all” he taught be kept, and promises to be with his church “always.” Christ stands as the face of the Triune God, the One in whom the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit make themselves known. Christ is “all in all,” the fulfillment of the Godhead in incarnate flesh, so the church’s hyper focus on Jesus is simply a focus on the Triune God made visible.

The Athanasian Creed guards this confession. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, the Spirit is not the Father, and yet each is fully and eternally God. Analogy stumbles, so faith receives. Subordinationism and other old errors fall away when the creed’s cadence fixes the truth: coequal, coeternal, undivided.

Genesis already shows the Three working as One. The Father initiates, the Spirit hovers, and the Word speaks light into being. The same Three act in redemption: the Father sends, the Son obeys in humility, and the Spirit anoints the Son’s ministry. At the Jordan the heavens open, the Father delights in the Son, and the Spirit descends. The Old Testament promises the coming Christ, from the first gospel after the fall to Daniel’s vision of the Son of Man receiving everlasting dominion. Christ’s “I am” sayings name Him with Israel’s God.

“All authority” is not an abstract title. The wilderness temptation exposes Satan’s failure to buy off the One who needs nothing. Unclean spirits are driven out because their time is up. Blind eyes open, lame legs walk, and Lazarus walks out, previews of a new creation. Before Pilate, Christ yields His life not because He must but because He wills, the Lord who could summon angels choosing the cross. Even a fig tree withers at His word, the Lord of creation in the flesh.

“All nations” puts mission on every doorstep and in every vocation. Christ sends disciples into homes and workplaces with His Name, not a private spirituality. Baptism into the Name of Father, Son, and Spirit buries the old self and raises a new creature in Christ. “All that I have commanded” makes the Word comprehensive: written, spoken, and embodied in Jesus. Forgiveness flows through preaching, baptism, absolution, and the Supper, and forgiveness births a “different duck,” a life that walks differently because Christ’s mind now indwells His people. “I am with you always” stretches from the womb to the deathbed, from this age to the new earth where the Lion and the lamb rest, and the Triune God is all in all.

Key Takeaways

1. Christ holds all authority everywhere Christ’s authority shows up in temptations resisted, demons expelled, bodies healed, and death reversed. Even before Pilate, His surrender is sovereign, not forced. Creation itself responds to His word, whether to bloom or wither. This is the “all authority” that grounds mission, courage, and hope. [56:11]
2. The Triune God works as one Creation, redemption, and sanctification are the united work of Father, Son, and Spirit. Distinct persons, one undivided God, with no subordinates and no substitutes. Mystery outruns analogy, but Scripture and the creed fix the boundaries of worship and witness. The church’s gaze on Jesus is a gaze on the Triune God who acts. [52:11]
3. The commission reaches all nations The sending doesn’t wait for a passport; it starts in the roles God has already handed out. Homes, jobs, and neighborhoods become places where Jesus shows up through testimony and love. Intentional witness aims for faces and names, not crowds and clicks. Christ’s promise to be “with you” steadies the courage to speak. [59:27]
4. Baptism makes a new creation In the Triune Name, the old self dies with Christ and a new creature rises. This isn’t a coat of paint but a change of nature, new desires and new practices. What Christ previewed in healings, He delivers in baptism: newness now, resurrection promised. The baptized are raised to act, talk, and live differently. [60:13]
5. The Word includes all His teaching The Word is Scripture written, the gospel preached, and Jesus Himself embodied. “All that I have commanded” forbids trimming the edges of truth to fit comfort. The means of grace deliver forgiveness that actually reworks a life from the inside out. Forgiven people live under the Word that names and nourishes them. [60:59]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[41:52] - Greeting and Great Commission lens
[49:20] - The “all in Jesus” theme
[50:13] - Why the creeds matter
[52:11] - Trinity in creation and salvation
[53:36] - First gospel after the fall
[54:41] - “I AM” and Israel’s God
[55:32] - The appointed mountain in Galilee
[56:11] - All authority given to Christ
[57:18] - Healings and resurrection as preview
[58:26] - Daniel 7 and everlasting dominion
[59:27] - All nations and everyday vocation
[60:13] - Baptized into the Triune Name
[60:59] - The Word and all teaching
[62:20] - With you always, from womb to glory

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
“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

In Matthew 28:18-20, the word “all” is repeated four times. What specific areas of authority, mission, teaching, and presence does Jesus emphasize with this repetition?
How does the sermon connect Christ’s authority over creation (e.g., withering the fig tree) and redemption (e.g., healing Lazarus) to His claim of having “all authority”? [56:11]
What examples from the Old Testament (e.g., Genesis 1, Daniel 7) does the sermon use to show the Trinity’s unified work in creation and Christ’s eternal dominion? [52:11]
According to the sermon, how does baptism into the Triune Name create a “new creation” rather than just a superficial change? [01:00:13]

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus’ statement “All authority has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18) have been especially meaningful to disciples who witnessed His crucifixion and resurrection?
The sermon argues that focusing on Jesus is focusing on the Triune God. How does this idea challenge or clarify common misunderstandings about the Trinity? [49:20]
How does the connection between Christ’s “I AM” statements and Old Testament references to God (e.g., Exodus 3:14) deepen our understanding of His divinity? [54:41]
The sermon describes baptism as “burying the old self and raising a new creature.” What does this imply about the ongoing transformation of a believer’s identity and actions?

Application Questions

Jesus’ command to “make disciples of all nations” starts in everyday roles and vocations. What specific opportunities do you have this week to share Christ’s love in your workplace, home, or community? [59:27]
The sermon says forgiven people are “different ducks” who walk, talk, and act differently. What is one area of your life where Christ’s forgiveness could inspire a tangible change in your habits or attitudes?
How can the truth that Christ is “with you always” (Matthew 28:20) reshape your approach to a current challenge, fear, or season of waiting? [01:02:20]
Baptism unites believers with the Triune God. If someone asked you, “How does baptism matter for my daily life?” how would you answer based on the sermon’s emphasis on new creation?
The sermon warns against trimming the “edges of truth” to fit comfort. Where might you be tempted to compromise or avoid parts of Jesus’ teaching, and how can you lean into His whole truth instead? [01:00:59]
Jesus’ authority over creation means even a fig tree withers at His word. How does this reality encourage you to trust Him with situations that feel “out of control” in your life? [58:26]

Sermon Clips

33s

“The father sent the son. The son, in humility, obeyed the will of the father, and the holy spirit descended on and became part of the son's ministry at the son's baptism in the Jordan River where he bore the sins of the entire world. So the Trinity was there in creation. The Trinity was there in salvation. And, of course, the Trinity was specifically called out in Jesus' baptism when God said, and the clouds opened up, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. And the holy spirit descended in the form of a dove.”

31s

“The focus on all in this text is rather profound. He's with us at all times. Where two or three are gathering together in your name, he's right there in the midst of us, and he's with you in your distress. He's omnipresent. He can be everywhere at one time spiritually, and yet he's fully embodied up in heaven, sitting there with a body and with flesh. And yet that's hard for us to understand, and yet that's the great god. Omniscient, all knowing, omnipresent, present everywhere, you know, omnipotent, all powerful.”

28s

“And then with Pontius Pilate, you remember the discussion when Pontius Pilate was talking about truth and Jesus was? He said, what is the truth? And then he said, do you not know Jesus if you're not talking to me that I have the authority to put you to death? And Jesus says, well, you know, I'm, you know, giving up myself on my own, paraphrasing here. If I wanted to, I could have my holy angels come down and take on the whole Roman army and you. I would have no problem.”

31s

“all of us, he knew who you were. He knew what you were gonna become. He knew if you were gonna witness for him or not, and he knew your name. I mean, it's rather profound in the womb. He was with you as you grew up as a little itty bitty, and maybe you're still a little bit itty bitty out there, but you will grow up. And he'll be with you as you go to college or school or high school or you go on to whatever vacation you become. He'll be with you when you possibly are bedridden. He'll be with you when you die, and he'll be with those that are left behind after your death.”

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St. Matthew Lutheran Church and School Westland This sermon · AI assistant

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