ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH HAS BEEN GIVEN TO JESUS

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

APRIL 10, 2023

TOPIC: ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH HAS BEEN GIVEN TO JESUS

BY T. O. BANSO

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me’” (Matthew 28:18 New International Version).

After Jesus had been resurrected, the angel of the Lord who rolled aside the stone at the door of His tomb told Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to go quickly and tell His disciples that He had risen from the dead and was going ahead of them to Galilee (Matthew 28:7).

But as the women were hurriedly going, filled with joy, Jesus met them and told them to go and tell His brothers to go to Galilee where they would see Him. Then the eleven disciples went to the mountain in Galilee where Jesus had told them to go. Although they worshipped Him when they saw Him, some of them doubted. Apparently, they were shocked to see their Master who was crucified some days back standing before them.

Matthew 28:18 says, “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me’” (New International Version). The New King James Version renders it thus: “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.’” All authority in heaven and upon earth is given to Jesus Christ. The word “all” means that nothing is excluded or exempted. Who gave the authority to Jesus? God, His Father, who raised Him from the dead, gave it to Him. Nevertheless, Jesus is eternally God.

As God, Jesus already had all authority in heaven and earth. “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3 New King James Version). Colossians 1:16-17 says, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (New King James Version). During His earthly ministry, before His crucifixion, Jesus said all things have been delivered to Him by His Father (Matthew 11:27a; Luke 10:22a).

Jesus also said in John 3:35, “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand” (New King James Version). In John 5:22-23, He said, “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (New King James Version). Furthermore, John 13:3 says Jesus knew that the Father had given all things into His hands and that He had come from God and was going to Him.

All these scriptures refer to Jesus before He was crucified. He had all authority inherent in Him because He was God. He said He and His Father were one (John 10:30). But when Jesus told His disciples that all authority in heaven and earth had been given to Him, He spoke as the Saviour of the world. In other words, He was talking about the authority that God conferred on Him as a result of His death and resurrection.

Ephesians 1:20-21 says that when God raised Him from the dead, He sat Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Verses 22-23 say, “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (New International Version).

Philippians 2:9-10 also talks about the authority Christ was given after His resurrection: “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11 New King James Version).

The writer of Hebrews says that after Jesus had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven (Hebrews 1:3b). Verse 4 says He became as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to our risen Saviour.

Based on the authority given to Jesus Christ after His death and resurrection, He told His disciples, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20 New International Version). This is the Great Commission, which is founded on the authority of Christ. He delegated His authority to His followers to exercise on earth on His behalf. We are to rule the world on His behalf through the preaching of the gospel and bring multitudes under His rule in the kingdom of God.

Jesus gave a similar mandate to His followers in Mark 16:15-18, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well” (New International Version). The latter part of this scripture reinforces what Jesus told His disciples in Luke 10:19 before His crucifixion and resurrection: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (New King James Version).

To enable us, His followers,  to carry out the Great Commission, Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (New King James Version). Jesus had the authority to send the Holy Spirit and He did on the day of Pentecost. On that day, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached a powerful sermon, and three thousand souls were saved and added to the church. Jesus has delegated His authority to the church on earth.

Jesus has absolute authority over the world as the Saviour of the world. Every power is under the supreme authority of Christ. He has authority over death and life. He has authority over the devil and demons. The preaching of the gospel, making disciples of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching them are all based on the authority of Christ. Christians must always act conscious of the fact that we are under the authority of Christ and we should do all He has asked us to do in His authority or in His name. God has placed all things under the feet of Jesus and has appointed Him the head over everything for the church (Ephesians 1:22). All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself.  I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, thank You for giving all authority in heaven and on earth to Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. Holy Spirit, help the church to be faithful in obeying the command given us to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus has commanded us.

(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org