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| JESUS HAS "ALL
AUTHORITY" |
#201
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We recognize the need for a standard of authority in just
about every area of our lives. For instance, have you ever
played a game with a person who does not play by the rules? That
can be really irritating. If everyone in the game played by
their own set of rules, the game would become totally confused.
Try to imagine how hard it would be to compare the best value of
gasoline if every filling station recognized a different
standard for measuring a gallon. What if every grocery store was
allowed to determine for themselves what they wanted to call a
pound? Commerce would be in utter chaos if there were not
recognized standards of weight and measurement, observed by
every person. It seems that in the work place, in government,
and in countless other spheres we can easily understand the need
for a recognized standard of authority.
Unfortunately, this is not so readily conceded when it
comes to spiritual matters. It seems today that everyone is
playing by their own set of rules and have failed to understand
that God has established a standard of rule and authority. The
religious world today is in a state of chaos, much like the
conditions described in Judges 21:25, where it says, “In those
days there was no king ... everyone did what was right in his
own eyes.” God has warned us through the prophet Jeremiah that
“a man’s way is not in himself; nor is it in a man ... to direct
his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23); and again we read in Proverbs
16:25, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end
is the way of death.” Left to himself, it is impossible for a
person to determine how to please God. We might think we
know what God wants from us; but still be far from the truth.
Throughout the pages of the New Testament we are taught that God
has established a standard of rule and authority for this
age. In matters pertaining to God, Jesus Christ has been
given the position of being the “Final Authority”.
In Hebrews 1:1-2 we learn that God has used many ways to
communicate to His people through the ages; but in these “last
days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all
things, through whom also He made the world.” The identity of
Jesus as deity and co-creator of the world well qualifies Him as
the final authority today. In the 17th chapter of Matthew, the
Heavenly Father confirms this authority. Appearing with Jesus on
that occasion was Moses (representative of the Old Covenant Law)
and also Elijah (representative of the Old Covenant Prophets).
When Peter thought of showing equal honor to each of these three
spiritual leaders, a voice from the heavens said, “This is My
beloved Son ... LISTEN TO HIM” (Matthew 17:5). We no
longer live in the age of the Law of Moses nor the Old Testament
Prophets. Their words do not carry the same authority as do the
words of God’s spokesman for “these last days.” The Apostle Paul
strongly emphasized this point when he wrote that God “put all
things in subjection under Jesus’ feet, and gave Him as
head over all things to the church” (Ephesians 1:22). Again, in
Colossians 1:18, Paul said of Christ, “He is also head of the
body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from
the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place
in everything.”
Jesus is God’s spokesman for these “last days” ... “All
things” are “in subjection under His feet” ... He is the “Head
of the Church” ... He has “first place in everything” ... and we
are to “listen to Him.” In light of all this, is it any wonder
that Jesus confirmed His own authority in Matthew 28:18? Just
before His ascension to heaven, Jesus declared, “All authority
has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” In matters
pertaining to God, there is no need for us to be in chaos and
lawlessness. God has left us a standard of authority. We must
look to Christ Jesus as our ruler. If He has ALL
authority IN HEAVEN and ON EARTH, then we have no
need for any other source of spiritual authority than the Word
of Christ. Jesus Has “All Authority.”
| Bible
Talk |
JESUS HAS "ALL
AUTHORITY" |
201
|
1. What would happen in the world of commerce if there was no
recognized standard of authority to maintain universal
standards?
2. Agree/Disagree: As in Judges 21:25, it seems today that most
people (and churches too) are doing what is right in their own
eyes.
3. "A man's way is _____ in himself; nor is it in a man ... to
direct his ______ steps" (Jer 10:23)
"There is a way which _____ right to a man, but its end is the
way of _______" (Prov 16:25)
4. Who is God's spokesman for these last days? (Hebrews 1:1-2)
5. According to Matthew 17:1-5, whose authority are we to
recognize today:
Moses Elijah Jesus
6. Who has God appointed as "head over all things to the
church"? (Ephesians 1:22)
7. It was God's intention that _______ (who) would have "first
place in everything"? (Colossians 1:18)
8. In Matt 28:18, Jesus said that all authority in heaven and
earth had been given to ______ (whom)?
9. What do these scriptures lead you to conclude about the
standard of authority for the church?
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Your Bible questions answered here.