“All Authority has been given to Him”- Matthew 28:16-20

All authority is in Jesus hands. He doesn’t look at our situations and say “I can’t figure this out!” Is it possible because Jesus is in charge, and works through us, can we look at our situations and know it’s going to be alright? The Bible says, yes! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Please stand if you're able for the reading of our scripture. This morning it comes from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 28, and it's verses 16 through 20, and I suspect these will be very familiar words to most of us here. This passage is a passage that has one of my favorite words that I find in Scripture, and that word is there for. I know when I see that word that I've gotten a little bit of a history of what's being said, and I get a little bit of the impact. So it's a cause and effect word for me. And I that touches me. So hear these words. Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him. But some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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. The word of God for the people of God.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

Thanks be to God.

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Please be seated. And now, Lord, may the words of my mouth, meditation of my heart, be fully acceptable, graceful, and worthy in your sight. For you are and forever shall be our strength and our redeemer. Amen. So today I want to talk about Christ as our authority. Ask any person, and they will tell you that while they prize freedom, do what they want, make their own choices, no one's going to tell them what to do. If you really dig at them and ask them real questions, they will also tell you, yeah, I want to do what I want, but I also want someone worth following when I don't know what to do. I want to do what I want, but I also want someone worth following when I don't know what to do. I saw this firsthand when I was in high school in Lubbock. Most of my experiences with teachers have been really good. The principals and admins I was around hired great staff who love their job, they love kids, and they love the process of molding kids into men and women who can be productive members of society. All of that changed. My experiences in high school, my junior year in math class. Ask my wife and she will tell you, math is not my specialty. I think some of you can give an amen back to that statement. It is not my specialty. So for me, any math teacher not only has to be clear, but they also have to have command of the classroom. They have to be clear, they have to have command of the classroom. Because math is one of those subjects that many people struggle with it. And many people react differently to it. That year was not good for me because my teacher in the room, he was a great math teacher. He was horrible with classroom discipline. Horrible. Kids did whatever they wanted. No one listened to them. No one listened to them teach. I tried to make it through as best we could. I remember days when kids would say, Hey, John, can we copy your paper for answers? Like, you really want to do that on my paper? You know how dumb I am with math? But because I was the good kid in class, that's what they wanted to get answers from. But such was the life in a room that no one was in charge. Nationally, people seem to want direction. They want leadership over free to do whatever you want. Leader in a business community and other areas of public life. The Pew Research Center was created in 2004, but its roots go back 14 years before that. When the Times Mirror Company created the Times Mirror Center for People in the Press. In 1996, the Pew company became the primary sponsor and renamed it Pew Research for the People. It was consolidated into what we know today in 2004. To put another way, the Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan think tank that informs the public about social issues, public opinion, trends, and it gives data-driven research. And here's the kicker the Pew Research Facility does not advocate for Republican or Democrat. They literally make that their rule. None of you are going to go work for politicians. You're just going to do research and manage your job. Now, in 2023, consider some of the polls they produced. A small percentage of a nation has confidence that big business is doing a good job leading their respective businesses. Only half of a nation trusts the nation's CEOs as credible voices in American life. So, to give an example, if the CEO of Exxon said, I give to the poor, then a very small portion of the nation believes that. Most of the nation would say he's lying. In an interesting poll, a part of this massive number is that many in the country are tired of thinking about politicians who try to lead but can't do it. Or their vision is not compelling enough. That's where the distrust is coming from, that the Americans as a society don't trust any more people at the top because either their vision doesn't work or they just simply can't leave well. These polls and more tell a story in our society of a high demand for principled long-term leadership that is paired with a low supply of trustworthiness in our leaders and business owners right now. So we call ourselves the land of the free, but we want to be told what to do. We don't trust the people telling us to do it. So this sermon today is not a commentary on such polls, but it is a response to them by offering the authority of Christ in our own hearts and our own lives. So let's talk about his authority today. What does Jesus offer us as an authority figure? Number one, as our authority, Jesus offers assurance. Jesus offers assurance. Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted. Some of you doubting today. You're frustrated. You're sad. That's you, but I have good news for you. Because some of the disciples felt the same. But then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. I love this text with all my heart. When's right, it's a familiar text, but it should be familiar because Jesus does not chastise the disciples for their doubts and their anxiety. He wouldn't look at us and just say, Well, they're there. Right? That's not what he does. He responds to doubts with assurance, and he assures the disciples that he is in charge and that life is going to be okay. This is not the first time you see this done in the Gospels. In John 14, Jesus tells a troubled group of disciples who see bad times coming. Indeed, it's already there. Don't let your hearts be troubled. Believe God. Believe also in me. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back. And I will take you with me. So that where I am, you may be also. John 14, verse 1 and 3. In Matthew's gospel, Jesus responds to the tired and the weary. Any of you feeling tired today? He responds to us and he responds to the disciples and says, Come to me. All you that labor and are heavy laden, come to me and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. For I am gentle and humble and hearted. And you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. You know, I had some cool illustrations to illustrate what assurance has done for members of society, from trusted leaders. Then I got the call at Edwin's graduation on Thursday. So we're going to talk about Path for just a minute. Anytime she walked in the room, whatever it was she was doing, I think we can all agree you were assured it was going to be alright. Lots of stories I can give. When Bob Murray went down with sickness for about a year, Pastor John made over 35 hospital visits, and I was getting pretty stretched. And I started asking around, right? And I said, What am I gonna do? Like I can't keep doing this on my own. I need people to come with me or something. And it was Pat who said, Preacher, you need a visit team. Thank you, Sandy Smith. Thank you, Holly Pritchett, for saying yes. Not to me, to her. Because she started asking around and said, Preacher needs some folks to go with him. He's not always gonna be here. Right? What are we gonna do if he showed if he leaves for any reason? What are we gonna do? And so she got some people together and we started offering communion and making visits. I could talk about SPRC. We had some folks roll off. I said, What are we gonna do? We lost some really gifted leaders. And she stepped forward and she said, Pastor, I would need to pray about it, but if you need somebody to serve on SPRC, I'll do it. Don't get me started on BBS. BBS, his kids. Anytime we tried to formulate a plan to make the kitchen run smoothly, she never sought conflict. She would always, what would she say?

unknown 12:03

I have a suggestion.

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I have a suggestion. She wouldn't tell you what you're gonna do. She would say, Hey, have you thought of this? Friends, that's what leadership does. It assures people and doesn't raise the temperature, but it comes in and says, Hey, when we thought of this, I loved her suggestion of happy bags. She said, Look, preacher, we got too many people sitting in hospital rooms with nothing to do. They come home and all they think about is they're not the same. So she created happy, she went to the church, went to early worship, late worship, asked for funding. People gave to it. Why? Because they saw somebody who said, We need to lift up seniors in our church. Because again, Bob was sick. Who's gonna take up that mantle? She did. I could give story after story. And while I wasn't ready to tell this story the other day, I'm ready to tell it today. Y'all know Evan. Kid's a Jitterbug. He's handsome. We're in summertime. I tried to help Rihanna out and help Brooklyn out, and I would always bring Evan to my office. He'll sit there for a couple hours. Boy, by 11 o'clock, he's doing this. He's like, it's it's we're going home? We going to lunch? Of course, what does that do for me? That raises my anxiety, raises my blood pressure, because I'm trying to take care of him and also do my job. And wouldn't you know, on the days that Pat volunteered in my office, she would come in and sit on the couch. And she would just sit with him. She'd talk to him. Hey, Miss Pat, did you see my air track? Oh no, let me see it. And they would just talk. And I remember thinking, well, gosh, now I've got to remember my church practically taking care of my kids. So I would slow down and I would try to talk to her while I'm writing sermons or doing things that preachers do when they're in the office. And at one point, you'll love this about her. She said, Preacher? I'm talking with your son at the moment.

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That's right. Leave me alone. I'm talking with him. Y'all see this?

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That's what leadership does. It doesn't just say my way or the highway. It comes into any situation and assures the people in the room. I don't know what's going to happen. I do know it's going to be alright. Because Christ was that's authority, anything she got involved with, you knew it was going to be okay. People in our church have trusted her with all kinds of things. Why? Because Christ was her authority. In any situation she walked into, anything that needed help, she brought life. Friends, there's a lesson there. When followers of Jesus suffer adversity and leadership leads lacking, seems lacking. And we need a solution. There's a lesson in past life. Hear me clearly. Death is God's enemy. Death is God's enemy. And as followers of Jesus, we crave a strong presence when things go wrong. We don't want to know a map. We don't want to know what the future is. If we're honest, we want people to walk alongside us and just say, hey, it's going to be alright. That's who Jesus is. He walks alongside all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. He walks alongside us and says, I know the chips are down. I know things don't look good in your jobs, in your marriages, in your school, in your community, and I want you to know I have your back. Pat Blaylock had the back of anybody in the room because Jesus was her authority. The book of Hebrews addresses exiles who felt, maybe like we feel, who is with us as we seek to flourish in the ways that God wants for us. What has God done about death? The writer assures the Hebrew church that they don't have to look far. Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you. This is what God has said. I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we say with confidence, the Lord is my helper. What can man, what can death do to me? Hebrews 13, 5 and 6. The Apostle Paul echoes this promise in Romans 8, 31 through 39. If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son Jesus but gave him up for us all? How he will not also, along with Christ, graciously give us all things. Who will bring a charge against those whom God has chosen? It's God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus, who died more than that, who was raised to life, and is at the right hand of God and is interceding for us. He is interceding for us today, church. He is not oblivious to what's going on. He is interceding for us today. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine, nakedness, or danger of sword. As it is written, for your sake, we face death all day and are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, no. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced, neither death nor life, nor principalities, things now and things to come. Shall ever separate us from a love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. As our authority, Jesus assures us with his presence. In light of our assurance that is ours in Christ, I have two invitations for you to consider. Number one, claim the authority that Jesus shares with us. Claim it. Thank you, Wynne, for pointing this passage out a minute ago. All authority has been given to me. Go therefore. Claim his authority, friends. If Jesus says all authority has been given to him, he's not going to look at your relationships, your job, sudden tragedy, or your community and say, I can't handle this. He's not going to do it. Is it possible because of Jesus that we can do the same in our own lives? Try not to worry about that college that might wreck your granddaughter's grandson's faith, your kids' faith. Try not to worry that your business might flounder, that relationships may not work because you might fail. Try not to get down about tragedy. You can mourn it, but don't let it bring you to despair. That college should be worried. That business should be encouraged. And those you love should be in awe. The devil should be shaking in his boots. Because you are not just a person, you're not just a human being, you are not under the authority of a man or a prince, you're not a boss or a CEO. You are a slave of Jesus. And you answer to him. And him alone claim the authority that Jesus offers you and me. I would say it like this. Submitting to the authority of Christ is letting him do and accomplish by his efforts through you that we can never do by ourselves. What we're dealing with, nobody in this room can do it alone. You think you can, you're lying. No one could deal with it alone. But through Christ, you can do anything. That meeting you are stressing out about this week, Jesus already knows what's about to go down. And he's already working on hearts to make it as merciful and productive as possible. There is nothing you can say or do that will make that meeting go better or go worse. Trust God. Be prepared. And let Jesus lead. Let him set the agenda. That is invitation number two. The saying goes for your relationships. Let Jesus lead them. He's a better servant than we are. Waiting on your community or your friend or your neighbor. Or your spouse or that church member to take the initiative without Christ, friends, that never works. It never works. I hear it all the time. Well, my neighbors or my church doesn't like me, or my personal favorite, but is that my job? Pat never believed that. Friends, our obligation is to Christ and to let him lead. What does he say? The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. Because we have been assured in Christ. That should empower us to pray for a person who needs our prayers or better yet to love and to serve them. Invitation number two. I invite you to remember you are not alone. You're not alone. I am with you always, is not they live happily ever after. Okay? That's not the ending of a story. It is a promise to the audience reading Matthew and to us. We don't just have a friend who supports us, we have a king who loves us so much that he came in flesh to give us life and to live abundantly. A king who died, rose again, and sits at the right hand of the Father who reigns over us. I don't know about you, but if I had to choose one friend to stick with me in a bad season, I'd drop on my regular friends and I'd keep Jesus. I would keep him every time. In Christ, stressful situations don't cease to be stressful. Don't get me wrong. Some of us are going to be stressed when we leave here today. That's okay. Stress doesn't cease, it just becomes more manageable. Why? Because you have someone to carry the load with you. Someone to carry the load with you. Paul writes to the Galatian church, bear one another's burdens, and in doing so, you will fulfill the law of Christ. Don't get me wrong. Feeling alone is a very real experience for some. No, you're not alone, but that doesn't mean your feelings don't feel like they are. That's real. Don't ignore them. Don't think it's a sign of weakness to feel alone. Remember, the invitation is to remember Jesus sees how you feel and will walk with you through every step of the season you are in. I love this story. When Cory Timbaum or boom, sorry, I'm not on the pronunciation train today, was imprisoned in a Nazi camp for hiding Jews. One night she lay in her barracks that had lice everywhere, and she felt alone. Her feelings were real. She felt alone and said, Jesus, I am so alone. But in that moment, in an awful environment full of Nazis and a dirty barrack, she recalled a presence filled the space so real that she felt she could touch it. She later wrote in a journal, I realized. Did I feel alone? Yes. But I realized that I never was alone. And Jesus was with me. She realized that Christ was with her in that cell and her fear and her exhaustion. It wasn't a feeling, it wasn't an angel on her shoulders. It was knowing that Christ was still with her. From then on, she carried the presence of Jesus with her. Out of that camp later and into a lifetime of offering hope to others through books and talks. And I love this line. It was that experience that formed her thoughts to say things like this. Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known Jesus. Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known Jesus. So let's get to the question today. Do you feel like no one is listening? You feel alone today. Friends, hear the good news. All authority has been given to Christ. Jesus is listening. I promise you, he is listening to every concern that you have and even now stands with you. You're not alone. Christ wants to take control of your life, not to judge it or limit it, but to give you life and redeem it. The Bible calls that grace. In the name of the Father and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.