03-10-2024 WHY CHRIST COULD SPEAK WITH AUTHORITY
Text: Matthew 7:28-29
One of the issues the religious leaders had with Jesus throughout His ministry was their belief that He had no authority teach the things He taught or to perform the miracles He did. It was their pride and jealousy that couldn't allow them to see the truth of His teachings or acknowledge the miracles He was performing as He healed the sick could mean He is indeed the promised Messiah for whom they were waiting. So instead, they worked to find a way to get rid of Him, even though there was no justifiable reason. Today let's look into His authority and how it allowed Him to do what He did while He was on this earth and continues to do even to this day.
After Jesus finished the Semon on the Mount, Matthew records this 7:28-29: " (28) And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His Doctrine. (29) For He taught them as one having authority and not as the Scribes." The Scribes were the ones who transcribed, edited, and interpreted the ancient Scriptures. They were considered expert scholars and teachers of the Jewish law and traditions and often cited traditions or quoted authorities to support their arguments and interpretations. But Jesus spoke with a new authority -- His own. He didn't need to quote anyone because He is the original Word as we are told in John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Jesus taught the true intent of the law of Moses that was received directly from God while Israel roamed the desert and laid the foundation for the New Covenant, or promise, from God that was to come about because of Him being crucified.
Everyone who listened to Jesus teach were used to hearing theories and opinions from their religious leaders, they were captivated by what He was teaching and wondered how He could be so knowledgeable. This led them to believe that He was speaking with authority. When He was a 12 year old boy, Mary and Joseph "lost" Him on their return home from the Passover celebration only to find Him teaching in the temple. Whenever and wherever Jesus spoke, people listened because He did so with the authority of who He is, of what He was doing, and more importantly, what He was going to do. So, exactly who is this man that has such authority?
Jesus is the second person in the Trinity. Genesis 1:26 says: "And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness…" This is the first time we see a glimpse the Trinity - the divine consultation and interaction between God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Can you image that conversation? God has no body so that had to be discussed. Some feel that our ability to reason, creativity, moral capacity, speech, and self-determination is in the image of God. Or perhaps the image of God describes our entire self and not just one part of us. We will never be totally like God because He is our Supreme Creator. But we do have the ability to reflect His character in our love, patience, forgiveness, kindness, and faithfulness. Many prayers end with 'in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.' These words confirm the Trinity. Baptism unites believers with Jesus in their death to sin and their resurrection to a new life because it symbolizes submission to Jesus as Lord, a willingness to live God's way, and identification with God's promised people. Jesus gave His disciples the authority in Matthew 28:18-20 to bring others to Him by preaching and baptizing believers in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. He was with His disciples until He ascended into Heaven and remained with them spiritually through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is Jesus' presence that would never leave them. He continues to be with believers today through the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is the Creator. John 1:4 says that "In Him was life and the life was the light of men." Death brings eternal darkness which represents eternal evil dominion of Satan. It is Jesus' eternal life and His light that the Holy Spirit puts within us that will keep us alive in the light of His new kingdom for eternity. He is eternally alive because He is God who came to earth to offer mankind the hope and light of His eternal life. We can't buy it; we can only receive it as a gift given to those who want it and choose to live the way God intends His citizens to live in His future eternal kingdom.
Jesus is the Redeemer. Paul wrote in Colossians 1:14: "In Whom we have redemption through His blood, and even the forgiveness of sins," This shows us that Jesus is our Redeemer because of the blood He shed on the cross to forgive us of our sins.
Jesus is the Eternal One. He said in Revelation 1:17 that He is "the First and the Last." And, in John 8:58 when He said: "…Before Abraham was, I am." He was proclaiming His divinity. He existed before Abraham, and He applied God's Holy Name to Himself which God told Moses so that he could tell the children of Israel who sent him to gain their release from slavery in Egypt.
Jesus is the Only Begotten of the Father as He stated in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." He is the one and only Son of the Father who paid dearly with His life on the cross accepting punishment for our sin.
Jesus is the Way to Heaven as He tells us in John 14:6 when He said: "…I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man comes unto the Father but by Me." He is the Way, because He has given clear direction on how to get to the Father. He is the Truth, because He is the reality of all God's promises, bringing certainty to all lives that are confused and unstable. As the Life, He joins His divine life to ours, now and for eternity. Jesus offers full and complete satisfaction to those who follow Him. Some people reject Him because they think it is too exclusive and too narrow, so they choose to go their own way. But God's way is wide enough for the entire world if everyone would accept Jesus. Instead of worrying about its limitations, we should be thanking God for providing us a sure way to get to Him! So you see, Jesus is God, the absolute Lord of history, the Creator, and the only way to the Father in Heaven.
Jesus proved that He has authority over nature when He calmed the storm and the fears of His disciples. Jesus exercised authority over sickness when He healed those who suffered. And He exercised authority to forgive sins when He told those who He healed to "go and sin no more." But His true purpose for coming to earth was to put in place God's plan for salvation from sin for all who believe in Him as Savior as is show to us in Matthew 27-28.
Jesus left His place in Heaven with all its splendor and glory to live on earth as a human, knowing what His fate was to be. He came here on a mission for the redemption of sinners from the path to hell with Satan. Yes, He was a great teacher and a popular religious figure, but as John 1:29 tell us, He is also the Lamb of God on His way to the cross to take away the sin of the world. He left Heaven and humbled Himself so that we could be exalted. When we follow what He taught and live by His example we can become equal heirs with Him in the sight of God. While Jesus was here, He revealed God's eternal truths to His listeners and to us today as we study the lessons in the Bible. All of this, my friends, is why He was able to speak with the authority that He displayed while He walked this earth.
With all He did while here, His work is not yet done. As the angel told His disciples when He ascended back to Heaven, He will come back. John 14:1-6 records how Jesus told His disciples that He would have to leave them but would come back again to take them to where He was going so that they could all be together. And there is a place waiting for us as well. 1 Thessalonians tells how believers dead and living will be raptured before the start of the Great Tribulation. Revelation tells how He will return with the Church to end the battle of Armageddon, establish His kingdom, and reign for a thousand years. Only those who truly believe in Him will be part of His new kingdom. To be part of it, we must study and obey the Word of God. We must accept and receive Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. We must prepare ourselves so we are ready when He returns for us, which will happen in the twinkling of an eye. We should never be afraid to surrender to His authority on earth or in Heaven.
If you haven't yet committed to doing these things, time is getting short. If you want to be part of eternal life in a Kingdom of Light and Peace, free of pain and sorrow, don't wait any longer to ask Jesus to forgive your sins and come into your life to show you the way that you need to live. Don't be afraid and don't delay any longer.
The religious leaders never understood that they played an important part in God's salvation plan. Jesus had to die to defeat Satan. The resurrection opened the door for sinners to come to Him of their own free will so they could be reconciled with God. All of us have free will and the ability to make our own decisions so each person must decide to come to Jesus so He can change their life and show them how to live for Him. Remember God works all things together for good to those who love Him and that sometimes His work takes quickly or sometimes over long periods of time.
Until we meet again, may God bless and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead.