Has been crushed, is being crushed, will be crushed

The good news of the gospel is that our Jesus has crushed [justification], is crushing [sanctification], and will finally and fully crush [that’s glorification] the head of the serpent. And we know that the serpent of Genesis 3 is Satan, in part, because of the language Paul uses to describe Satan in Romans 16.20. So let’s read Genesis 3.15 [the Protoevangelium or first gospel] and Romans 16.20 and make a redemptive historical connection. Let me read it in the Harris paraphrase.

15[God the Father] will put enmity between [Satan] and the woman [Eve], and between Satan’s offspring [the reprobates who loves self]; and Eve’s offspring [the redeemed who love God in Christ]; [Jesus] shall bruise [Satan’s] head, and [Satan] shall bruise [Christ’s] heel. 20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Big barking black white fanged canines and the Great Commission

It was fun to be out on Saturday. Like we do every month, we invite people to our services, sometimes proclaim the gospel, and seemingly always "run" from big black barking canines with white fiangs who don’t seem interested in the Great Commission.

What’s really mind-blowing is that “doing the work” of the Great Commission [telling others about Jesus and discipling them] is not the heart of the Great Commission. The heart of the Great Commission is the absolute universal supremacy and authority of Jesus.

Notice in the Great Commission that Jesus places His glory and His authority and His power at the beginning of the Great Commission so that strategies and methods and personalitites and how many souls we've won to Christ won’t be central – but rather that as God saves souls, His supremacy “in Christ” will be the central story and our boasting all the day.

Matthew 28.18-20
18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” English Standard Version