The Authority of the Lord Jesus

We'll turn in your Bibles please to Matthew chapter 28. Matthew chapter 28 and verse 16. Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

And when they saw him they worshipped him but some doubted or they hesitated. And Jesus came and spake unto them saying all power is given unto me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore and teach or make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things or to be observing all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you all way or all the days even unto the end of the age.

Amen. Back to chapter 22. Chapter 22 we'll read from verse 41.

While the Pharisees were gathered together Jesus asked them saying what think ye of Christ or concerning Christ? Whose son is he? They say unto him the son of David. He saith unto them how then doth David in spirit call him Lord saying the Lord that is Jehovah said unto my Lord sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David then call him Lord how is he his son? No man was able to answer him a word neither nursed any man from that day forth.

Ask him any more questions. Chapter 16 Matthew chapter 16 verse 13 when Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples saying whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? And they said some say that thou art John the Baptist some Elias and others Jeremiah's are one of the prophets. He saith unto them but whom say ye? And that's emphatic whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God.

And Jesus answered and said unto him blest art thou Simon Barjona for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The last passage is in chapter 18 we have a case of a trespass we have the case of one who refusing to hear the church when it's ultimately told to the entire company of believers. Verse 17 if he neglect or if he refuses to hear them tell it unto the church and if he refuses to hear the church let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven having been bound in heaven and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

And I say unto you that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them. That's all I'd like to read trust the Lord's help to express thoughts on my mind.

I want to speak to you a little bit about the authority of the Lord Jesus and the place that he is really to have in the hearts and lives of his people. I think that you read the Gospel of Matthew you'd find very clearly expressed the fact that it presents to us one who has all authority. We find the close of it in chapter 28 where that word where he says all power is the word all authority all right to rule every sphere of rightful rules entrusted unto him.

And those disciples that obeyed his word and they went to the place where the Lord had appointed them they were expressing their subjection to his will. They were doing that because that's where he told them to be. That's a wonderful thing to remember brethren.

There's a place where the Lord wants you and me to be as a place of his appointment it's not where they wanted to be or where they decided to go it's where he told them to go. It wasn't in Jerusalem either it was in Galilee. It was a place of his public ministry it was a place where he had performed his miracles.

It was a place that so far as the nation of Israel was concerned it was not looked down on in a very high it was not looked upon in a high way rather looked upon as being populated by ignorant ones that did not know the law. And yet that was the place the place of his rejection the place of his ministry the place where he is accepted that's where he told them to go that's where they went. Let me just apply that to us this afternoon brethren and sisters there is a place where God wants you and me to be.

That it would affirm us in being in the place where he is appointed. A place where his name is established. You remember back in Deuteronomy 12 he made it very clear to his people that they were to come to the place where the Lord had placed his name.

It wasn't a place of their choosing it wasn't a place that was suitable or agreeable to them necessarily it was a place where he told them to be and that was where they were to go because that's a matter of expressing their subjection to his will. I'm just following on with our brother has been speaking I'm going to do so very briefly. So here they are told in that place where the Lord told them to be that all authority is entrusted unto him.

That one who had subjected himself to the will of God all of his days. That one who stooped under the will of God and a perfect servant character came down in the likeness of man moving as a perfect man made in the form of man and in every step that he took he always obeyed the will of God and now he's telling those that are identified with him that he the resurrected man now going to be exalted in heaven has all right all authority he has the right to command and to expect obedience. All authority is given unto me and trusted unto him not only in heaven but also on earth.

We read in that which is called the Lord's Prayer actually a disciples prayer part of it says thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We believe there's a day coming when that will be certainly true that the will of God will be done on earth. Sadly it isn't the case now but thankfully in the midst of a world that knows nothing of obedience to the will of God today God is calling out a people that are identified with him with a desire to be obedient to his word.

So he says to these disciples go ye into all the world. He said rather all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth presently so that he has the authority the right to command those who belong to him. He has the right to command all men but he's expecting that there should be those out of this world of rebellion and refusal to hear his voice who would be glad to subject themselves to him and delight in doing his will.

All authority is given unto me in heaven and earth he says go therefore because of this because of that entrusted authority says go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Now what is a disciple? I know someone can find discipleship just to the days when the Lord Jesus was here on earth but this seems to be very definitely in the future after he's gone back to heaven. We're to make disciples and a disciple is not only a follower and a learner but he is one who is expressing identification with one that he recognizes to be greater than he is.

He's there because of the authority of the master. He's there because he's subject to the the teaching and the will and the purpose of that one who is identified with. You know only a disciple the only ones that are truly disciples in reality are the ones that are seeking to carry out the will of God.

I mean nominally and truly in one sense every believer is a disciple and thank God for that but in practical reality making disciples is initiated with the fact that they're subject to the Lord in baptism identified with him and acknowledging him as their Lord. I would take it that that's something that we should have realized and I didn't realize it but at 15 years of age I was baptized. I recognized it was something the Word of God taught me but it wasn't until some years later that I recognized and understood that it meant that I was to be subject to his control, yielded to his authority, recognizing his place as I was identifying with him in public testimony.

He says that baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son of the Holy Spirit. So our first step of obedience and identification with his authority is that matter of being baptized, obeying his word, carrying out that which is most certainly his will that's been expressed in his word. I trust that everyone that knows the Lord Jesus as personal Savior in this audience this afternoon has recognized that that is the first step of my obedience to him.

We need to emphasize that. One has said that if one who professes to be saved doesn't have a desire to be baptized there's something wrong with their profession. Back up and see what's wrong because they never learned that the one that saved them is the one that has authority in their life.

So they'll be baptized in the name in our identification with him. That was what I see taught in Romans chapter 6 that we're now identified with him in the fact that we have died and been buried and risen again to walk in newness of life. But he doesn't end there you notice he says teaching them to observe all things.

The word observe is in a present tense which indicates that is to be the continuous practice. We don't observe all things brethren and sisters by doing them now and then. We don't observe the Word of God and what the Word of God teaches us if we just choose and pick what we want to obey.

No he says be observing teaching them to be observing all things whatsoever I have commanded you. When I come to the book of Acts in Acts chapter 2 I see the Apostle Peter standing up and preaching in the day of Pentecost and we find that those who gladly received his word they embraced it. They were publicly identified with it.

They believed what they were hearing and it says that they were those who were baptized and it continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine. What the Apostles were teaching them and that doctrine that they were conveyed to them was the teaching that the Lord Jesus had given to them. So the Apostles were only instrumental in passing on in the authority of Christ the teaching that the Lord Jesus had for his own to obey.

Brethren we have and sisters we have apostolic doctrine today been given us in the Word of God and we need to always remind ourselves it's not our option to decide what we obey and what we carry out in our life. We're responsible for all the Word of God. We recognize the importance of properly interpreting it properly handling it but we should seek to apply it and all of its principles for our life day by day.

That is a matter of recognizing the authority of our risen Lord. That he is the one who has been given absolute authority. He is the despot.

He has the right to rule and to reign in every part of this world and right now he delights to reign in your hearts and mine. So he says teaching them but also he says lo I am with you all the days. Every day as you're seeking to serve him he says be conscious of this I'm with you.

The consciousness of his presence brethren and sisters is very precious. If you and I want to be conscious of the presence of the Lord with us every day of our life it comes by way of our subjection to the will of God. How can two walk together except to be agreed? How can we hope in any way possible to know something to the power of God in our lives if we're not those who are seeking to manifest its reality.

The reality of God's Word day by day. God encourages in this. You know we have the pattern of our Lord Jesus don't we? As the one who could say and the only one who could really could say it really could say it.

I delight to do thy will oh my God. Yea thy laws within my heart. And there was one that perfectly obeyed the will of God and delighted to do everything.

Not because of obligation and not because he was wanting to satisfy the requirements of men around him. Because he lived constantly with a assurance of the reality that God himself was looking upon him. A delight of his heart.

That which brought him pleasure was what brought God pleasure. That should be that what we aspire to in our life brethren. Not to do what we should do because we have to do it.

That's the lowest form of obedience. But to do it because they bring a pleasure to God. It brings pleasure to us as well.

You know it's a wonderful thing just to do something because it brings delight to the one that we love. You know the longer that we are married the more that should be a reality in our life in a relationship with our husband or wife. Just to do it because it's for their pleasure.

Just to do it because it brings joy to their heart. Just to do it because of love. And the responsibility of a child of God is out of love to serve our blessed Lord Jesus and obey his word.

But moving back to chapter 22 we have the Lord speaking to the the Pharisees and they proclaimed and they claimed to know the Word of God. They claimed to teach the Word of God. They legalistically sought to obey the Word of God.

That's a sad principle to be operating under. And yet he challenges them with a question doesn't he? What think ye of Christ? I can say very definitely that that question is a very vital question. It really reveals the depths of one's conviction.

If he is really the Christ we need to appreciate and understand who he really is in the place he is rightfully to have. What think ye of Christ? That one who is the Messiah, the anointed of God, the one that has come from God's heaven, God's eternal Son. What do you think ye of Christ? Notice their prompt and ready answer.

He said they said he's the son of David. Well you know as a son of David he had the right to the kingly authority. Because he was a son of David we trace that back to chapter 1 of verse 1. He is the one who was the son of David first of all and he's a son of Abraham.

That genealogy proves him to be the one who has a right. A kingly right. The right to rule and the right to sit upon the throne.

Because he's a son of Abraham he has a right to the land. He's a possessor of all things. But they readily answered that he is a son of David.

They knew the Bible. They knew what the Word of God said. The Messiah came from the line of David.

Well now he says if he's a son of David why does David himself in Psalm 110 say the Lord said unto my Lord sit thou on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. In other words what he wanted to impress upon their hearts and what I want to try to gather from that intermediate this afternoon is the fact that this one who they outwardly physically recognized technically theologically he's the son of David. They forgot to realize they failed to realize that he was the one who was the eternal Lord from heaven.

But he is the one who was greater than David because of who he is by reason of his deity. And if he's the son of David he has a right to rule. But even greater if he is indeed the son of God.

He has a greater claim. He has a greater authority than just being the son of David. When I look at the Gospel of Matthew I see the emphasis is this.

That here's one who had every right to reign and has every every claim upon the authority over people. Not only his own people but all the entire world. The son of David would involve the nation of Israel.

The one who is the Lord himself is the one who is Lord of all the earth. And he has a claim upon your life and mine. And so in the Gospel of Matthew we see him presented as the one who has every right to rule.

The one to whom every knee should bow. The one who has every expectation that man would be subject to him. And yet we find right from the very beginning even though that he began to present himself and all the evidence and all the credentials that were associated with his genealogy and his rightful place.

We find them coming to the point where they deliberately and publicly rejected him. Chapter 12. We won't go into that because I don't want to take the time to do it.

So that we have this this recognition. And in a world and this nation shall we say first of all the nation of Israel that that in a scriptural way acknowledged him to be the son of David. Failed to see him as the Lord from heaven.

I rejected him because of that. But out of that environment. Out of that body of people.

The Lord says I am still going to have those that recognize the authority that is connected with myself. Where does he come to that? It comes to that at chapter 16. Because when we come to chapter 16 we notice that the setting is that he is actually on the border between Jew and Gentile territory.

The co-successory of Philippi. So I would take it that what he's going to teach them here. What he wants to teach us is that this established right of authority is that which prevails universally.

Not only in the nation of Israel but also in Gentile regions as well. And here in this place he asked his disciples saying whom say men? Whom say men that I the son of man? Well they say he's the son of David. No they didn't say that.

They said some say that thou art John the Baptist. Well John the Baptist was a very good man. Like oftentimes the opinion of men that fell far short of what the Lord Jesus really was.

John the Baptist spoke as a herald, as one who was a forerunner but he didn't have the authority of the Christ. He was only the one that went ahead. Announced his coming.

Well he said some of them say that your alliance. Alliance and all the power and the authority that rested upon him and yet a man that failed. What about Jeremiah? Well Jeremiah was a prophet that was known for sympathy.

A prophet that declared the Word of God but he says all of them they really fall short of recognizing those are men that spoke with God's authority they didn't have God's authority personally. Whom do ye personally, individually, emphatically because it comes home to the individual heart. Brethren and sisters who do you and I say that he is? It's not a matter of what we profess publicly.

It's what we feel deeply in our hearts. Who do we say that he is? Peter in the impulsiveness of his character but also impelled by the Spirit of God. He said thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

You see that he went far beyond what the nation could appreciate. They could say that he's the son of David but Peter says no he's not just the son of David he's the Christ the Messiah, the Son of God the Living, the one who has absolute authority. How did you know that? The Lord says it was only by a divine revelation.

He said Peter you didn't figure that out. You didn't gain that from listening to the multitudes of men. You didn't hear that from what others had to say about me.

No he says you received that as a direct revelation from God. Actually this passage there are four divine revelations. There's a revelation about this person first of all.

There's a revelation about his purpose. He's going to build a church. There's a revelation about his passion, his suffering that must be accomplished.

There's a revelation also about his preeminence at the end of the chapter. My God wants to enlarge our hearts and open to our minds brethren and sisters the greatness of Christ. I do appreciate perhaps in a way we never have the tremendous importance of receiving from God directly the truth concerning his beloved son.

Be willing to be in subjection to him. Now he's speaking about the church. I hope we understand the difference between the church when he's speaking about here in chapter 16 and the church that we have in chapter 18.

It's well to sit down perhaps and note the differences between the two. That church which is his body. That church which he founded upon the rock which is not Peter.

That church was established which is indissoluble, indivisible, incorruptible, invincible and invaluable so far as he is concerned. That church composed of every believer. It was saved from the day of Pentecost when Peter preached the gospel the first time.

Right until the day when the Lord comes to take every believer home. No partial rapture. Everyone will be caught up to be with him.

We expect that moment when the church will be complete and every believer who has been brought into subjection to his will and knows the truth concerning Christ. It has a part in that wonderful church which he's built upon the rock. And so we can say that thou art Peter and upon this rock.

I think there's about 18 different interpretations of different books as to what the rock is. I'll just say that I either believe it's the Lord Jesus himself or the confession that asserts his person and who he really is. Peter proclaims this wonderful divine truth.

Thou art the Christ and on the basis of that everyone that knows him in that particular way has a part of this church on this ground on this rock that will build my church. Still future in this point. He says the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

It cannot be overcome. And the gates of hell and all their power and all their potential and all their planning and plotting. He says it can never prevail against it.

Never can be overcome. But come with me to verse 19. He says I will give unto thee the keys.

Notice its future. He didn't say I give unto thee right now but I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shall whatsoever thou shall bind on earth shall be.

And literally it's the idea that it has been and continues to be bound in heaven. What I want to emphasize is this. That when Peter began to move on the day of Pentecost I take it that the keys are the keys that opened the privilege of hearing the gospel to the spread of the Word of God that we see depicted so clearly the book of Acts.

And Peter began to use those keys the keys not of the church but the keys of the kingdom of heaven. I hope we understand brothers and sisters there is a difference between the kingdom of heaven and the church. There's also some measure of difference between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God but we'll leave that to one side.

The keys of the kingdom of heaven would open under the sphere of heavenly influence and heavenly authority as he opened the door and began the preaching of the gospel first of all in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and under the uttermost parts of the earth. I want to point out the fact that in the book of Acts when Peter began to preach on the day of Pentecost he wasn't doing that just because he decided to preach. He was doing it because of divine authority.

He was carrying that out because of a commission of the Lord Jesus. We find him later on going down to Antioch that he did so because he was subject to divine control. He went there because that's where the Lord told him to go.

And when he went there to the house of Cornelius and preached to the Gentiles he was doing so with the recognition that that's where God wanted him to take and open the door of the gospel. So it's not a matter of him doing that and God as it were in heaven affirming that or saying whatever you do that's all right with me. If you do that I'll agree with that.

So to speak I'll rubber stamp your activities. No it isn't that at all. It's the idea that it already has been made sure and established by God and Peter received that and in subjection to the revealed will of God he acted and he moved in accordance with what God directed him to do.

Thank God he opened those doors of the gospel. I know what more can be expanded from that but we'll leave it at that point. I just want to make the point that Peter as a result of being divinely instructed concerning the person of Christ and being brought to appreciate the greatness of that person he moves in subjection to that will and he carries it out because it's the mind of heaven for him as he came there on the day of Pentecost and he preached the gospel.

You know brethren you and I have been given a commission as well. We have a responsibility to respond to the control of divine leadership. The control of God knowing and seeking to know his will.

You know the only way that Peter knew that that was where he was to go was because God made it known to him and he was in tune with the mind of God in heaven and knowing the will of God he acted and he went down to Antioch first of all and then we find him being directly led by the Spirit of God. He could say that the Spirit made me go. He knew exactly that was what God wanted to do.

But I close by looking at chapter 18 because while we know that there is a aspect of subjection to the authority of Christ in the hearts of every believer and everyone that knows the Lord Jesus that is a part of this body the church universal that we speak of in Matthew 16. The practical reality when it comes to the carrying it out of it in relation to local company that's what we find in chapter 18. That is that's one of the purposes of a local assembly gathering.

It's to carry out the mind of God in heaven in a locality. To manifest subjection to the revealed will of God in functioning and discipline and all the aspects and all the practices that should prevail in a local assembly of God's people. What does it exist for? First of all it exists to manifest Christ in that community.

It exists to be expression of body of Christ to those that are around the area not the body of Christ but body of Christ in his character. To make Christ known should be our desire wherever we are that Christ might be seen in us not only individually but also collectively. Well I would take it for this passage where we have this matter of dealing with an issue that initially should never have called for the results that actually took place.

The difficulty of the problem is a lack of willingness to be subject to the authority of God. A lack of willingness to be subject to that which has been revealed in the Word of God. Here we have a process that takes place a refusal to hear a refusal to hear refusal to hear that he says he must be out of thee as a publican a publican where we are I lost my track here a heathen man and a publican what are they there are those in this world that do not recognize the authority of Christ a heathen man the publican the outcasts the ones who are far from God no part in so far as this gathering that God's people is concerned he says there are those that are within that and as an assembly acts he says that must be preeminent must be absolutely the highest desire of the heart that assembly that gathering of believers to understand what is the will of God in heaven we have it all backwards sometimes we think that if an assembly acts in a manner of discipline or carrying out some kind of act that that simply automatically means that God will agree with it that's nonsense God doesn't agree with things that are contrary to his word but it does place a tremendous responsibility on men that would guide and lead in the assembly of God's people to seek to know exactly what is God's Word teaching and what is God's Word expect for that gathering of believers that's why men have to be men of the book that's why the requirements of elders in an assembly is that they must be godly a touch with God how about a touch of God about them spiritual man men that devote themselves to seeking to know what is God's will for this company of believers can't be just what I think is right we need to be very careful not to do things just because that's the way we've always done them we need to be careful that we don't do it because that's what works we need to be very careful to seek to know what does God want us to do and what is his will as he's revealing in his word I realize there are latitudes in that but when it comes to this matter especially of maintaining divine order he says whatsoever you bind upon earth must be what has already been bound in heaven so that we're responsible brethren as a body of believers gathered to the Lord's name in a locality the manifests are genuine deep exercise to know the will of God as revealed in his word and to seek to carry it out in a way that is consistent with this purpose no God wants us to honor his name brother sees to me that the higher Christ rises in our hearts the more we esteem him the more we appreciate him the more will be our delight just to know what is his will not only for my life individually as I've been hearing but also for the company of believers with which we're identified may God help us in this godless rebellious world a world of disorder and don't expect it to get any better I don't anyway I do eventually expect it to be better but not right away but we know that evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse Paul says to Timothy but continue thou and the things which thou has learned and been assured of told among many brethren brother we have wonderful principles of the Word of God and the one that has given them to us is the one who has all authority in heaven and earth and on the authority of his word we can go forward we can move in confidence we can seek to do what is according to his will because it brings pleasure to his heart because it brings delight to him brother there was always it will always be for the blessing of every one of us his people