The Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 28, Verses 16 - 20.
We are on the sixth Sunday of Easter according to the Christian calendar, and we are still in the Easter season. In a couple of weeks, we look forward to Ascension Sunday and Pentecost, and then we will start another season after that. During the Easter season, we meditate mostly on the resurrection and the power of resurrection in our lives and the impact of resurrection to the world and the whole creation. We have looked at many different passages where Jesus appeared to many disciples and others. According to the scripture, after rising from the dead, Jesus appeared to more than 500 people at that time (1 Corinthians 15:6). They were witnesses who were living at that time, according to what we read in the Bible.
The reports of resurrection are very limited in the Bible. Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have the most descriptive narration resurrection events. Paul refers to the resurrection in many places. Peter also writes some details about the resurrection. But mostly the detailed descriptions are all from the gospels. One of the disciples who wrote The Gospel of Matthew has the final moments in the most detail. According to some people Matthew did not write the Gospel; somebody else wrote it and his name was adopted to that cause. This is due to the fact that the gospels were compiled many years after Christ. So this was probably narrated to somebody and then was written by somebody else.
The women went to the tomb and saw the angels who told them to go and tell the disciples to go to Galilee, that is where Jesus would meet them. So the disciples proceeded to Galilee to meet Jesus there. That is where everything started. If you look at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, he started his ministry in Galilee, and that's where he is going to be ascending to heaven, where he started from. When he met them at Galilee, they worshiped him. We read that some of them still doubted. It's part of our nature that we have discussed before. We always doubt, and it is our nature, biologically and mentally. It is our biological safety triggers that we doubt things. Jesus came to reassure them that the resurrection was real. And he did rise from the dead, and he has a body. We all believe that we will have a resurrection after our death. Our bodies will rise. It may be a different body that we will assume because Jesus has risen from the dead, and we believe in his resurrection, and we will all have the resurrection of our death and will have eternity with God together. That's what we believe as Christians. But when he appeared to them at the last time here before he ascended into heaven He said "all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me; therefore, go and make disciples of all Nations." This tells us that God has given Jesus all their Authority and power.
When we look at this world, Authority and power usually go together, but in many cases, people confuse these two things as one. They are two different things. You may have the power, but you may not have the authority. So Jesus said, "I have the power and the authority." He proved his power over everything. He showed his power over nature, over evil, over suffering and over death. He's saying that I have the authority to use that power in this universe, everywhere because He has the authority as the creator of the universe. He has unlimited Authority and power, which nobody else has in this world. So he confirms that authority and power and tell them that they already had the power , and now they are given the authority. God has authorized the authority. Many people think that if you have power, you can have authority over other people. That's not true. Our president of the country, for example, has a lot of power, the most powerful president in the world. That's what everybody says, but if he wants to get something done, he has to go through the whole process of Congress. So who has the authority? He has the power. But the authority is with the people. That's what democracy is that we have here in this country, which is working great.
To exercise the power, you have to have the authority. Muhammad Ali, the great boxer, used to refer to himself as "the great one." He wanted others to tell him that he is the great one. He was on an airplane one time, and he introduced himself to everybody. He was preaching and talking to everybody on the plane and it was time time to take off and he would not shut up and sit down. The attendants told them to sit down and buckle up. He didn't listen to them. He continued to talk and finally, he sat down he would not wear the seat belt. So the flight attendant came and told him to his time to take off and you have to wear your seatbelt. "He said lady you don't understand the great one. I'm Superman and superman don't need no seat belt." Then the flight attendant told him "Superman don't need an airplane either. So buckle up." That's what means by authority. You may have the power, and it goes with everything, you know, the military may have the power, but does not have the authority to use it. Muhammad Ali had the power physically to do anything, but the flight attendant had the authority.
Power is the ability to control and influence others while Authority is the right to make the right decisions at the right time. So Jesus says the authority and the power of everything in this universe, created and not created are given to Him. That is what Jesus was telling us today. "I have unlimited Authority, and I am giving you the authority in this world to go and preach the gospel to all the world." The Authority that Jesus was talking about is before the commissioning of his disciples to go into all the world and preach the kingdom of his world. Because they needed the authority. People might question where you got this Authority from to preach the kingdom of God. "Who are you? Where are you coming from?" Just like Moses was asking God what to tell the people tell the people. God said that "I am that I am sent you." Jesus is the "I am that I am" who is giving the authority to his disciples to go and preach the gospel to all the world with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus has authority over all creation. He had the authority over nature. He was never threatened by the sea, the wind, and the storm. He calmed the sea. He walked on water. People were amazed that he had authority over nature. Jesus has authority over our bodies. He healed a lot of people. A lot of times we think that our doctors have the power. But then they are powerless many times when it comes to certain situations, right? Otherwise, you know, we do not need these hospitals. But doctors have a limitation. But Jesus has authority over our bodies. If any of you are ailing with our sufferings pain remember that God is in control. Jesus of the authority and the power to heal us.
We misunderstand what Authority means if you are under Authority, you have to subject yourself to that otherwise If you say that, you are not of this world, but subject yourself to the evils forces of this world. If you live in a country, you have to subject yourself to the laws of that country. You will be happy to live here. If you don't like it, you have to go somewhere else where you will like it better. If you want to be happy in the kingdom of God, you have to subject to the authority of God. Jesus can heal you because he has the authority to heal once you subject yourselves to that authority. So give our lives into the hands of God whatever our situations are; physical mental whatever. God has the authority and the power to take control of our situations and he can solve and heal our bodies and our situations. There is no place in this universe over which Jesus had not been given authority. His authority penetrates every sphere of influence.
The Jews did not understand the authority of Jesus to forgive sins. (Mark 2:7). They said to themselves that God is the sole authority who can forgive sins. Then Jesus explains that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins. Jesus tried to teach them about His authority as being divine He said He was here before Abraham. He was here before Solomon. He was here before the creation of the world and they could not digest it properly. They accused him of saying blasphemy and they tortured him and they finally put him to death because of that. So he was exercising his authority over this nature and also to forgive sins as the Son of God. Jesus has the authority even now to forgive sins. That is why he was sending his disciples to the end of the world to give them the authority to forgive sins in John's gospel in the closing chapter, 20. John was narrating the last days of Jesus in a different narrative, where Jesus said "peace be with you as the Father has sent me. I am sending you to receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any people they will be forgiven to them. If you withhold forgiveness from any it will be withheld."
Jesus gives you the authority to preach the kingdom of God and preach the forgiveness of sins with the same authority He had. The authority that Jesus had was as the creator of the universe and also spiritually as the redeemer of sins. That is why he subjected himself to the law of redemption when it came to Authority. He came and lived in this world as one of us. He had to go through a human life and suffered like one of us and he took upon the cross and died on the cross of Calvary, but he rose from the dead because he had the authority and the power of sin and death. His humiliation in this world and the suffering were because of you and me. He was subjected to humiliation and death voluntarily not because because of His sin, but because of the sin of the world. He delivered the creation from the powerful grip of devil. We think that evil is more powerful than good. But God has the final authority over everything.
Also, we need to understand that God has authority over our lives today to set us free from our bondage of sickness and sin. And anything that is binding us from enjoying the Christian Joy of life in this world. A father was sharing a story about his son, who had been in treatment for his drug abuse And he was recently discharged after he completed the program. This young man was in his thirties. And the parents were very troubled and concerned that he might go back on a relapse to his old habits. So they were honestly praying and the church was also praying for them. And one day the father told the son, "I know you completed the program and you are free. But I am still worried. I'm still worried that you might go back in your old behavior and situation because the devil is so powerful. So you have to be careful." Then the son told him, "Dad, the devil may have the power but he has no authority."
There may be powerful forces coming against threatening our foundation of life. We may think that the devil is going to take over us. The devil does not have the authority to take our life. The devil asked God to hand over Job to be tested. God told him, "Job is in your hands, but do not touch hi life." (job 2:6). Only God has the authority to take our life. If we are subjected to that authority, we don't have to worry about anything. The crucified Jesus has made us to partaker of the kingdom of God no matter what our past may be. He holds both our past and our future. He has promised to be with us always till the end of the world. The devil and the world may have come with power for a little while but all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Jesus forever. He has conquered conquered death. He lives and reigns forever as king of kings and Lord of lords. He is God's son whom we sing about and preach about. He came to this earth lived a perfect life and gave himself for his life on the cross.
Paul says that he was in the very image of nature of God. He did not consider equality with God rather. He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant and he took upon the cross and he obeyed God even to death; even to the death on a cross. Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on the earth and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
There was nobody before like Jesus and there will be nobody after him like him. He had no predecessor and he will have no successor. You cannot impeach him. He will never resign. He is the Eternal King and Lord of Lords. Are we going to be under his authority? Let us reflect on our lives and subject to His authority. Let us commit cares and worries, our burdens and concerns, our life and all possessions at His feet. To Him be the power, glory and honor for ever and ever.
Blessings 
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