Day 16 - How Does Jesus Use His Authority?
- Pastor b.Side
- May 15
- 3 min read
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” - Matthew 28:18
God's transcendence is evident in how He can accomplish a multitude of tasks with a single action. The scriptures are filled with testimonies of how God performs one action that affects various people in different ways, ultimately yielding results that align with His eternal purposes. This demonstrates how God works all things together for the good. He can use one tool to fulfill every purpose, whether to bless, correct, or curse. No one else can achieve this.
“All authority has been given to Me…”
The testimony of Jesus’ “Great Commission” serves as a clear example of how God does this. This testimony occurs after Jesus’ death and resurrection. The scriptures illustrate that He continued to minister to His true followers, equipping them for the purposes to which He called them. The verse preceding this one indicates that some of His true followers worshiped Him, while others continued to doubt certain aspects. Jesus addressed both their worship and their doubt in the same manner, issuing the same command. Jesus began by reminding them of His authority. Encouraging proper worship requires us to acknowledge Jesus’ authority. Correcting unbelief necessitates remembering Jesus’ authority. Here, authority refers to a specific type of power. It describes power over humanity and the ability to choose as we please, particularly when our mental and physical strength is at its peak. It also encompasses the power to judge or rule expertly with force. Jesus possesses all of this power, given to Him by the Father.
“In heaven and on earth…”
Jesus specifically taught that His authority transcends the factors of this life and even heaven itself. Jesus is the Son of God, the Heir of God, having inherited all of the Father’s eternally self-existing and self-sustaining attributes, including His transcendent power. Jesus possesses all power over all created things in heaven and on earth because the Father established it that way. He has the freedom to choose His actions at all times, and because He is God, everything He desires aligns with the Father’s righteousness and goodness. Jesus wields the power to judge and rule masterfully with authority because the Father appointed Him for this purpose. This is true of His rule in heaven, on earth, and within the hearts of His people.
Remembering the truths about Jesus and the extent of His transcendence over all things in heaven and earth should address issues of unbelief and spark the motivation to worship. Jesus has received all authority from the Father and uses that authority to do good in the lives of His followers when we adhere to His Great Commission. He exercises His authority to equip His servants with the ability to proclaim the Gospel and teach the truth about who He is to the world. When we desire to worship Jesus or are struggling with unbelief and doubt, the solution remains the same: we should remember His authority and how He uses it in our lives to equip us as messengers and teachers of His testimony.
Prayer for today
Our heavenly Father, thank You for the testimony of Your Word, which reminds us of the transcendence of Your authority. Your authority not only exceeds ours but also equips us with our life’s purpose! Help us remember the truth of Your power and how You have shared it with us to equip us as servants, messengers, and teachers for Your glory, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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