Mission of the Master (3)

Sermon 3: The Model of the Master

Text: John 20:19-22 (KJV) Series Title: Mission of the Master Sermon Title: The Model of the Master Big Idea: Jesus not only sets the mindset for the mission and gives us the message for the Mission—He is the model for carrying the message forward.

A young apprentice once asked an old master carpenter, “How will I know how to build the house?”

The master smiled, picked up his tools, and said, “Watch me.”

For weeks, the apprentice stood beside the carpenter—watching how he measured, cut, and set each beam. The carpenter didn’t just hand him a blueprint; he modeled every step. Then one day, he handed the apprentice the tools and said, “Now build it—just the way I showed you.”

That’s what Jesus did for us. He didn’t just give us a mission statement or an instruction manual—He stepped into our world and showed us exactly how to live, love, and serve. And then He said, “As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.”

In Luke 19:10, we hear His mindset—the heartbeat of heaven In Luke 24:46–47, we hear His message—the breath of heaven. But here in John 20:21, we see His model—the hands and feet of the mission.

The One who was sent now sends us—

and he has layed out three ways here in these verses how we must go.

I. We are Sent by Divine Authority

“As my Father hath sent Me, even so I send you.”

This statement was no afterthought.

It is a window into the eternal plan of God (a plan that involved sending His only begotten Son into the world on a mission to rescue the perishing)

The first thing we need to understand is,

being sent is not self - appointment

(upper level government positions do not have authority without appointment from the president)

He was not a rogue preacher gathering a crowd.

He came with heaven’s full approval and under heavens full authority

John 4:34 “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.”

Jesus found His satisfaction in doing the Father’s will.

That tells us something:

The mission was not about recognition but obedience

And now, as the Son was sent, He sends us - not as inventors of truth, but as ambassadors of it.

(2 Corinthians 5:20 “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” )

The second thing we need to understand is,

we are nothing more than authorized messengers of the Kings message

A postal carrier does not author the letter - they simply deliver it

They don’t alter the message in the letter - they just carry it faithfully

They don’t speak in place of the letter - they allow the author to speak through the letter

That’s us.

We don’t bring our own ideas, philosophies or opinions.

We deliver the message the Author has already written.

Because He has given us authority through the commission, we can deliver it confidently, for it is the very message Christ was authorized to speak.

John 3:34 “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.”

The mission is not man-made—it is God-given and Christ-modeled.

Our confidence doesn’t come from training or titles, but from the fact that we’ve been commissioned by the risen Lord.

Christ was sent to redeem—not to entertain;

to save—not to gain political favor.

He obeyed His commission, and so should we.

What if every believer saw themselves as one sent with divine authority with a divine message?

He came with the Father’s authority—and now sends us in that same authority.

The One who was sent now sends us—and we are to go the way He came.

We’re not just sent with authority—we’re sent with a character shaped by peace that surpasses understanding.

Jesus doesn’t just commission us; He shapes us.

II) We are Sent with a Distinct Character

“Peace be unto you...”

Before He sends them into hostile territory, He calms their hearts.

He speaks peace into their troubled souls - not once but twice (v.19;21)

Why did He do this?

Because the mission God has for us cannot be fulfilled apart from His peace and his power.

Before Jesus showed up in that locked upper room, the disciples were confused, afraid and uncertain about their future.

Their Lord had just been crucified and they were more than likely next on the Pharisees hit list

Jesus knowing this, and knowing their inability to complete the mission that He was about to give them, says Peace be unto you.

This was not a casual greeting

This wasn’t a polite hello

This was a divine impartation of the same peace that was promised to them in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Its the same peace that He had that night the garden, (sweating great drops of blood, then says not my will but thine)

Jesus gives us the that transcends circumstances.

His peace doesn’t just still the storm - it settles the soul in the midst of it.

That is why our mission must begin in peace

In a world that is loud, hostile and anxious, the children of God must not be walking about carrying the tension of the culture around us, we must be different

- we must carry the tranquility of Christ in our hearts and express it through our actions which echo the words “Peace be unto you.”

How do we ever expect to bring the peace of Christ to others if you are not living with it in your life?

v.22 tells us that after he gave them peace, He gave them his power.

John 20:22 – “And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”

Before launching them out, Jesus filled them up.

Jesus knew what they would face in the coming years, (persecution, hardship, resistance and even martyrdom) so he not only calmed them with His peace to face it he equipped them with His power to complete the work that He has commissioned them to do

The same Spirit that empowered Him would now empower them—and us.

You don’t need a pulpit, a title, or a seminary degree to be a missionary, you just need the Spirit of the Living God

He is your power

He is your boldness

He is your wisdom

He is your endurance

The difference between a fearful believer and a faithful witness is not their personality it is the presence of the Spirit

Application

The Savior’s presence is our peace—so we minister with confidence, not fear.

The Spirit’s presence is our power—so we serve without burnout or pride.

If we try to serve without His peace—we’ll quit.

If we try to serve without His power—we’ll fail.

Peace steadies us - Power sends us

He sends us with authority and with power but they can only be effective if we go the way he came

III) We are Sent with a Defined Pattern

“As my Father hath sent me, even so I send you.”

This is the anchor of our commission

He is not just sending us - He is showing us

“Even so I send you” means in the same manner, with the same heart, and for the same purpose

Jesus was sent into the world clothed not in splendor but in servanthood.

A. The Pattern of Humility

Philippians 2:7 – “[He] made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant...”

He didn’t come with a crown, but with a towel.

He wasn’t born in a throne room, but in a stable.

He washed feet as a servant even though He was the King.

He served the undeserving before He suffered for the unworthy.

He never climbed over people to gain power—He bent down to lift people up from despair.

God doesn’t send the proud to do the work of the Crucified..

 'We're not celebrities—we’re servants.

Not platform-builders, but cross-bearers.'

If Christ came lowly, so must we.

It is not about us it is about Him!!!

Christ came to glorify the Father, the Spirit glorifies the Son and the Spirit lives in us so we are to glorify who? The Son!

A. The Pattern of Humility

B. The Pattern of Compassion

Matthew 9:36 – “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them...”

Every step Jesus took was soaked in love for the broken.

He saw their need.

He felt their pain.

He wept over their cities.

Jesus didn’t pass by the outcasts—He walked toward them.

He touched lepers, restored the demon-possessed, and dined with sinners.

He wasn’t driven by data or demographics—He was moved by compassion.

The mission is not about projects or programs—it’s about people.

Jesus didn’t just declare truth—He demonstrated love.

A mission without compassion is just machinery.

Evangelism without love is just noise.

Preaching without heart is powerless.

The gospel without love is pointless, it must be felt before it is believed

And if we are to reach people like Christ did, we must love people like Christ did.

And when we love like Christ did, we can sacrifice like Christ commands

A. The Pattern of Humility

B. The Pattern of Compassion

C. The Pattern of Sacrifice

John 10:11 – “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”

Jesus didn’t just come to teach—He came to die.

His mission came with a cost—and He paid it in full.

He laid down His comfort, His rights, His dignity, and His very life to fulfill the will of the Father.

The call to go is also a call to give.

You may not give your life physcially - but you will give your life spiritually

Maybe not martyrdom—but certainly surrender.

Surrender of time.

Surrender of control.

Surrender of convenience.

The cross is not just the message—it is also the method by which we live in this world

Galatians 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me.”

Luke 9:23 “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Fulfilling the great commission, wither on the home-front or in a jungle, will cost you.

But it cost Him more.

And He calls you and I to follow His example. “As the Father hath sent me, even so I send you.”

If we are going to fulfill the great commission and perform the mission of the master, we must model our work after His life.

So what does this mean for us today?

If Jesus modeled the mission in His humility, compassion, and sacrifice—Why should our ministry be any different? Im not talking just about vbc as a whole Im talking about each one of you individually.

What part of your life is out of step with the Master’s model?

Challenge

What area of your life doesn’t yet mirror the mission of Christ?

Who have you passed by without compassion?

What comfort is more important to you then bearing the cross?

Are you going through the motions of the mission or are you modeling the Master?

Following Jesus means more than bearing His name—it means walking in His steps.

If He came with humility, compassion, and sacrifice—so must we.

The One who was sent now sends us—and we must go the way He came.”

Conclusion: Following the Model of the Master

I close with this...

The old carpenter had finished teaching his apprentice everything he knew. The foundation had been laid. The walls were standing straight. The roof was secure.

One morning, he placed his worn, calloused hands on the young man’s shoulders and said, “It’s your turn now. The tools are in your hands. Build well.”

Church, that’s where we stand today.

The Master Builder—Jesus Christ—has shown us how to live, how to love, and how to serve.

He came to seek and to save.

He came with a message to proclaim.

He came with the authority of heaven, the power of the Spirit, and the compassion of the Father.

And now… He places His hands on our shoulders and says, “Even so send I you.”

But before you can build for the Master… you must first belong to the Master.

You can’t work with His tools until you have been brought into His Family.

You can’t lay a foundation for others until your own life is built on the solid rock of Jesus Christ.

Friend, if you’ve never been saved—if you’ve never turned from your sin and placed your trust in Christ—today is the day to begin.

The Bible says, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).

Without Him, your life is on shifting sand, but with Him, you’ll stand firm for eternity.

This morning, the Master Builder is calling—first to salvation, then to service.

Come, be forgiven.

Come, be made new.

Then rise and take up the tools He has placed in your hands.

The mission is now yours. Will you follow the Master?