WEBVTT 00:00:06.370 --> 00:00:10.849 Matthew chapter 28, verse 18. That's in the New 00:00:10.849 --> 00:00:15.970 Testament. Right at the beginning of the New 00:00:15.970 --> 00:00:17.989 Testament, you'll find Matthew. That's going 00:00:17.989 --> 00:00:19.949 to be in about the back third of your Bible. 00:00:20.870 --> 00:00:22.989 Or if you're on your smartphone or tablet, scroll 00:00:22.989 --> 00:00:27.750 down toward the bottom of the list. Matthew chapter 00:00:27.750 --> 00:00:33.590 28, verse 18. Everybody in here should be happy 00:00:33.590 --> 00:00:36.240 today. The half of you that like the heater to 00:00:36.240 --> 00:00:38.399 be on was happy earlier, and now the half of 00:00:38.399 --> 00:00:40.460 you that like the air to be on are happy now. 00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:45.880 So we made everybody happy today. So those of 00:00:45.880 --> 00:00:47.479 you who don't like the air to be on are hoping 00:00:47.479 --> 00:00:52.079 I'll preach quick today. Matthew chapter 28, 00:00:52.340 --> 00:00:58.460 verse 18. We'll read the verse, then we'll talk 00:00:58.460 --> 00:01:03.960 for a few minutes. Matthew chapter 28, verse 00:01:03.960 --> 00:01:10.799 18. Then Jesus came near and said to them, All 00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:14.680 authority has been given to me in heaven and 00:01:14.680 --> 00:01:19.280 on earth. Let's pray. God, we come to you and 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:22.359 we thank you for the privilege and the freedom 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:25.870 to be into your house, dear Lord. We thank you 00:01:25.870 --> 00:01:28.069 for the love that you have for us. We thank you 00:01:28.069 --> 00:01:30.629 for the love that is in this place. And I pray, 00:01:30.730 --> 00:01:34.069 dear Lord, that your Holy Spirit would be among 00:01:34.069 --> 00:01:37.569 us today, that whatever stresses and sorrows 00:01:37.569 --> 00:01:40.409 and pains and bitterness and hardships that we 00:01:40.409 --> 00:01:42.890 may have come into here with today, dear Lord, 00:01:42.950 --> 00:01:47.890 that your Holy Spirit would give us peace, would 00:01:47.890 --> 00:01:50.170 give us strength, God, that we would leave here 00:01:50.170 --> 00:01:55.260 trusting in Jesus Christ and his authority. I 00:01:55.260 --> 00:01:57.060 pray, dear Lord, that you would hide me behind 00:01:57.060 --> 00:01:59.159 the cross, that I would preach and teach in a 00:01:59.159 --> 00:02:04.000 way that brings glory and honor to you. And I 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:09.800 ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Jesus 00:02:09.800 --> 00:02:14.060 had lived his life. He had served God the Father 00:02:14.060 --> 00:02:17.259 to the very end. He was crucified and he was 00:02:17.259 --> 00:02:20.379 resurrected and spent some time with his disciples 00:02:20.379 --> 00:02:24.960 before he would ascend back to heaven. And here 00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:29.080 in Matthew chapter 28, in verse 18, we see these 00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:33.800 last words of Jesus before he ascends to go be 00:02:33.800 --> 00:02:37.759 seated at the right hand of God the Father. And 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:41.780 he says to his disciples, All authority has been 00:02:41.780 --> 00:02:49.520 given to me in heaven and on earth. Now, how 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:52.569 much authority did Jesus have? Before this point, 00:02:52.629 --> 00:02:56.129 if all authority is given to him now, did Jesus 00:02:56.129 --> 00:02:59.830 not have authority before this point in his ministry? 00:03:00.770 --> 00:03:03.270 Well, I believe that Jesus did have authority. 00:03:04.050 --> 00:03:07.349 I believe that Jesus had full authority throughout 00:03:07.349 --> 00:03:12.449 his whole ministry. But Jesus used his authority 00:03:12.449 --> 00:03:16.689 in a much different way than most humans would 00:03:16.689 --> 00:03:19.110 use their authority. Now, Jesus is fully God. 00:03:20.039 --> 00:03:24.659 But he's also fully human. Now we see authority 00:03:24.659 --> 00:03:27.319 all over our world today. There are people in 00:03:27.319 --> 00:03:31.939 authority all around us. And we see a common 00:03:31.939 --> 00:03:35.460 theme often with people who have some authority 00:03:35.460 --> 00:03:39.319 and who have some power. It's more times than 00:03:39.319 --> 00:03:44.060 not when someone receives authority, that power, 00:03:44.099 --> 00:03:47.219 that authority, it almost instantly goes to their 00:03:47.219 --> 00:03:51.569 head. They almost instantly use it for themselves. 00:03:52.430 --> 00:03:55.930 They use it very selfishly. They use it to promote 00:03:55.930 --> 00:03:59.610 themselves. There's all of a sudden an air of 00:03:59.610 --> 00:04:03.270 pride and arrogance that one day you worked in 00:04:03.270 --> 00:04:06.310 the mailroom, and the next day you've made it 00:04:06.310 --> 00:04:09.270 up to being a businessman two floors up, and 00:04:09.270 --> 00:04:11.389 now all of a sudden you are so much better than 00:04:11.389 --> 00:04:14.689 those measly mailmen that you were two weeks 00:04:14.689 --> 00:04:18.899 ago because you have some authority. And you 00:04:18.899 --> 00:04:21.139 are better than them and you speak down to them. 00:04:22.259 --> 00:04:25.839 And oftentimes that is the trap that humans fall 00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:30.519 into. It's a trap that we must be careful because 00:04:30.519 --> 00:04:33.160 perhaps some of us in this room have authority 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:38.620 today. Perhaps some of you are owner of a business 00:04:38.620 --> 00:04:41.740 or manager of a group of people, teachers in 00:04:41.740 --> 00:04:45.680 a classroom, pastors of a church. These are positions 00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:50.779 that come with... Some level of authority. Too 00:04:50.779 --> 00:04:55.100 many times we see it in our government, in our 00:04:55.100 --> 00:05:00.100 businesses, in our churches, that people get 00:05:00.100 --> 00:05:03.980 a taste of authority. They don't use their authority 00:05:03.980 --> 00:05:09.660 for good. They use it for evil. They use it to 00:05:09.660 --> 00:05:13.100 build themselves up. They use it for their own 00:05:13.100 --> 00:05:17.899 greed. And that's what separates Jesus from all 00:05:17.899 --> 00:05:20.980 the other authority figures that there are in 00:05:20.980 --> 00:05:24.560 this world. Now Jesus is eternal. He has always 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:29.459 been. And He will always be. And He is the greatest 00:05:29.459 --> 00:05:33.920 authority. He had all authority for all of eternity. 00:05:35.540 --> 00:05:39.720 But Jesus did something that is nothing short 00:05:39.720 --> 00:05:46.860 of a miracle. Jesus left his standing in the 00:05:46.860 --> 00:05:50.839 presence of God the Father. And Jesus chose to 00:05:50.839 --> 00:05:59.079 come to this wretched and rotten world. Jesus 00:05:59.079 --> 00:06:03.740 had all authority. And what Jesus chose to do 00:06:03.740 --> 00:06:10.339 with his authority was to empty himself of so 00:06:10.339 --> 00:06:12.240 many of the things that come with that authority. 00:06:13.599 --> 00:06:16.379 Philippians chapter 2 verses 5 through 8 says, 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:19.439 Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, 00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:23.139 who existing in the form of God did not consider 00:06:23.139 --> 00:06:26.399 equality with God as something to be used for 00:06:26.399 --> 00:06:30.019 his own advantage. Instead, he emptied himself 00:06:30.019 --> 00:06:35.180 by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the 00:06:35.180 --> 00:06:38.480 likeness of men. And when he had come as a man 00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:42.509 in his external form, he humbled himself. by 00:06:42.509 --> 00:06:45.910 becoming obedient to the point of death, even 00:06:45.910 --> 00:06:52.790 to death on a cross. The Son of God, who had 00:06:52.790 --> 00:06:58.170 all power and all authority, he humbled himself 00:06:58.170 --> 00:07:03.569 and he chose to come to this horrible world that 00:07:03.569 --> 00:07:11.449 we live in and to be a servant to all. For those 00:07:11.449 --> 00:07:13.350 of you who may be in a position of authority, 00:07:13.689 --> 00:07:18.389 here's our example. Here's our example of what 00:07:18.389 --> 00:07:22.509 it means to lead. That Jesus says, I have all 00:07:22.509 --> 00:07:25.410 authority in the world. I have all authority 00:07:25.410 --> 00:07:28.310 in the world to look at humanity and look at 00:07:28.310 --> 00:07:30.889 their sinfulness and look at their disobedience 00:07:30.889 --> 00:07:33.589 to God and the commands of God and I would be 00:07:33.589 --> 00:07:36.569 a right and righteous judge to bring judgment. 00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:39.959 on sinful humanity. And Jesus would have been 00:07:39.959 --> 00:07:43.720 right to do so. In all of his authority, he could 00:07:43.720 --> 00:07:48.139 have chosen to have done that. But he didn't 00:07:48.139 --> 00:07:52.079 choose to do that. He said, I will empty myself 00:07:52.079 --> 00:07:57.660 of my authority. And I won't use my power for 00:07:57.660 --> 00:08:03.319 my good. I won't use my power to make my life 00:08:03.319 --> 00:08:07.470 better in any way. Instead, I will empty myself 00:08:07.470 --> 00:08:12.550 of my power and my authority so that I can go 00:08:12.550 --> 00:08:17.629 and be a slave to the people of God. To go and 00:08:17.629 --> 00:08:20.290 to serve the people of God. To go and to serve 00:08:20.290 --> 00:08:26.329 God the Father. And what a beautiful Savior we 00:08:26.329 --> 00:08:32.230 have. Jesus Christ knows all of the evil and 00:08:32.230 --> 00:08:36.299 the darkness and the bitterness. And all of the 00:08:36.299 --> 00:08:41.659 junk that we do and that we say, and then instead 00:08:41.659 --> 00:08:45.700 of bringing judgment on us, he showered us with 00:08:45.700 --> 00:08:51.159 grace. And so Jesus comes onto the scene unlike 00:08:51.159 --> 00:08:55.840 any other person with authority. And it's obvious 00:08:55.840 --> 00:08:58.720 that his authority is so much different than 00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:02.940 that of those who are here before him. So different 00:09:02.940 --> 00:09:05.879 that people instantly acknowledge when he begins 00:09:05.879 --> 00:09:09.360 to preach and he begins to teach that the listeners 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:13.500 instantly know that he is not preaching and teaching 00:09:13.500 --> 00:09:16.740 like those who have come before him. And his 00:09:16.740 --> 00:09:19.299 audience says he is preaching like one who has 00:09:19.299 --> 00:09:25.200 authority. But his authority was being shown 00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:28.700 and exhibited in ways that were unlike any other. 00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:33.100 For those who had come before him, many of them 00:09:33.100 --> 00:09:36.080 had used their power and lorded it over the people. 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:39.759 There were many bad kings and many bad priests 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:42.779 and many bad leaders in the church that had used 00:09:42.779 --> 00:09:45.899 their positions of authority to better themselves, 00:09:46.100 --> 00:09:51.799 to put the spotlight on themselves. Jesus Christ 00:09:51.799 --> 00:09:56.679 didn't do any of those things. He didn't come 00:09:56.679 --> 00:10:00.700 as an oppressive ruler. He didn't come and say, 00:10:00.779 --> 00:10:05.460 I am the Son of God. Therefore, bow before me. 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:11.279 Bring all your riches to me. Do everything I 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:15.860 command you to do or else. That was not the heart 00:10:15.860 --> 00:10:21.259 with which Jesus came. Jesus came with a heart 00:10:21.259 --> 00:10:28.419 of service. So he emptied himself. And he came 00:10:28.419 --> 00:10:31.919 and in a, Totally different style and type of 00:10:31.919 --> 00:10:36.559 authority that had ever been seen. Jesus begins 00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:43.480 to love people. He begins to serve God by loving 00:10:43.480 --> 00:10:47.840 people. Now this has always been what God desires. 00:10:48.039 --> 00:10:52.100 It's pretty clear. You kind of cipher through 00:10:52.100 --> 00:10:54.659 all the writings of the Old Testament and it's 00:10:54.659 --> 00:10:57.059 a lot of words there and a lot of laws there 00:10:57.059 --> 00:10:59.919 and a lot of commands there. Praise the Lord, 00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:03.220 Jesus kind of clears all that up for us because 00:11:03.220 --> 00:11:05.500 he says what's really important is the law of 00:11:05.500 --> 00:11:08.700 love, to love God with everything that's within 00:11:08.700 --> 00:11:12.340 you and to love your neighbor as yourself. That's 00:11:12.340 --> 00:11:14.840 really God's command and God's desire throughout 00:11:14.840 --> 00:11:16.919 the whole Testament. He used a lot of laws to 00:11:16.919 --> 00:11:19.059 say that, but that's really what God wanted. 00:11:20.639 --> 00:11:23.940 He wanted somebody that would love him. He wanted 00:11:23.940 --> 00:11:26.279 people to love him. He wanted people to love 00:11:26.279 --> 00:11:31.710 one another. And almost every other person, well, 00:11:31.750 --> 00:11:33.850 every person failed at that. Some did better 00:11:33.850 --> 00:11:36.850 than others, but that's why we needed Jesus, 00:11:36.909 --> 00:11:40.129 because he came onto the scene, and he emptied 00:11:40.129 --> 00:11:43.210 himself of all authority, and he came as an obedient 00:11:43.210 --> 00:11:49.029 son, as a servant to God, to love all people. 00:11:50.590 --> 00:11:54.789 And Jesus begins his ministry. He begins preaching 00:11:54.789 --> 00:11:58.240 and teaching of the kingdom of God. And those 00:11:58.240 --> 00:12:03.039 who would listen, they would hear. And they would 00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:05.620 be intrigued. And they might not understand what 00:12:05.620 --> 00:12:07.639 he said, but they knew there was something about 00:12:07.639 --> 00:12:12.700 him. Not just in how he taught, but in how he 00:12:12.700 --> 00:12:18.840 lived. That he didn't come to be served, but 00:12:18.840 --> 00:12:21.500 to serve. And to give his life as a ransom for 00:12:21.500 --> 00:12:25.340 many, the scripture says. And so Jesus began 00:12:25.340 --> 00:12:28.080 to walk miles and miles, thousands of miles, 00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:32.299 I suspect, throughout his ministry. Everywhere, 00:12:32.639 --> 00:12:37.259 town to town, everywhere he could get to. He 00:12:37.259 --> 00:12:38.960 would go and he would preach and he would teach 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:42.679 and he would show love and not ask for things 00:12:42.679 --> 00:12:49.580 in return. He was a humble Savior. He would associate 00:12:49.580 --> 00:12:53.330 with the ones that no one else would. certainly 00:12:53.330 --> 00:12:57.809 not the other religious men of authority. He 00:12:57.809 --> 00:13:01.669 would dine with the sinners. He would associate 00:13:01.669 --> 00:13:03.990 with the prostitutes and the tax collectors. 00:13:06.909 --> 00:13:10.710 He would heal the sick. He would cause the lame 00:13:10.710 --> 00:13:13.090 to walk and cause the blind to see and the deaf 00:13:13.090 --> 00:13:18.950 to hear. And he would bring healing to those 00:13:18.950 --> 00:13:22.779 who would come to him and seek it. And so often 00:13:22.779 --> 00:13:26.879 times that healing is followed up by a common 00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:32.700 theme. That their faith had made them well. That 00:13:32.700 --> 00:13:35.220 because they had trusted in Jesus, it is their 00:13:35.220 --> 00:13:39.539 faith that had healed them. Because they acknowledged 00:13:39.539 --> 00:13:42.220 that there was some authority in Jesus Christ 00:13:42.220 --> 00:13:44.600 that was so much greater than anything that had 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:47.000 come before. Because they had the wherewithal 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:49.679 and the faith to come and to seek Him, there 00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:58.539 was healing in their body. But guess what? The 00:13:58.539 --> 00:14:00.519 other people in authority didn't care for that. 00:14:01.399 --> 00:14:04.860 And Jesus didn't do anything wrong. He loved 00:14:04.860 --> 00:14:10.399 people. That's not a sin. He loved people. He 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:13.779 was compassionate toward people. He was merciful 00:14:13.779 --> 00:14:19.080 and He was gracious. And for that, those who 00:14:19.080 --> 00:14:24.649 in authority rejected Him. Not only did they 00:14:24.649 --> 00:14:27.470 reject him, they desired to kill him, and ultimately 00:14:27.470 --> 00:14:35.330 they did. And Jesus was crucified, and he was 00:14:35.330 --> 00:14:39.950 buried, and he was placed in a tomb, and God 00:14:39.950 --> 00:14:44.129 raised him from the dead. And he tells his disciples, 00:14:44.470 --> 00:14:52.399 all authority has been given to me. When Jesus 00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:56.419 came and He was on this earth, He emptied Himself 00:14:56.419 --> 00:15:01.080 of that authority to bring grace. But one day 00:15:01.080 --> 00:15:05.539 we will all stand before Jesus again. A Jesus 00:15:05.539 --> 00:15:10.240 who has all authority. And there is grace available 00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:15.840 to us today. But judgment may await us in the 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:20.200 future if we don't come to Jesus Christ and seek 00:15:20.200 --> 00:15:24.360 Him in faith. If we don't come and seek His grace 00:15:24.360 --> 00:15:28.139 and experience His mercy, we will experience 00:15:28.139 --> 00:15:32.019 the authority of Jesus Christ in its fullness. 00:15:33.620 --> 00:15:38.320 So what of us today? Have you experienced the 00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:44.179 grace of Jesus Christ today? Jesus uses these 00:15:44.179 --> 00:15:47.360 words that all authority had been given to Him. 00:15:47.440 --> 00:15:49.960 Back in Luke chapter 19, you can go back and 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:54.549 read that this week. In Luke chapter 19, Jesus 00:15:54.549 --> 00:15:57.830 tells a parable. A very similar parable is found 00:15:57.830 --> 00:16:01.870 in Matthew chapter 25. Jesus tells a parable 00:16:01.870 --> 00:16:05.009 of a noble man. And in that parable, it says 00:16:05.009 --> 00:16:08.690 of the noble man that this noble man went off 00:16:08.690 --> 00:16:15.490 to a faraway land to be given authority. And 00:16:15.490 --> 00:16:18.549 when this nobleman left, he gathered up his slaves 00:16:18.549 --> 00:16:23.960 and he gave... Some of them, ten of them, ten 00:16:23.960 --> 00:16:26.799 minas apiece. That's money. He gave them a little 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:30.700 money apiece. And there were some, it said, there 00:16:30.700 --> 00:16:33.179 were some in the community that rejected him. 00:16:33.299 --> 00:16:36.220 They were appalled that this nobleman was going 00:16:36.220 --> 00:16:40.779 off to seek authority. And once this nobleman 00:16:40.779 --> 00:16:43.799 had obtained the authority that he had gone away 00:16:43.799 --> 00:16:50.419 to receive, he came back. He came back and he 00:16:50.419 --> 00:16:53.519 went to his slaves to see what they had done 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:56.779 with what he had left them with. And the first 00:16:56.779 --> 00:17:00.879 slave had done well. The first slave had took 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:04.279 the money that he had gotten and he had doubled 00:17:04.279 --> 00:17:09.700 that money. The next slave that came, he had 00:17:09.700 --> 00:17:12.539 done well too with what the master had left for 00:17:12.539 --> 00:17:17.900 him. And then the third slave come. And he had 00:17:17.900 --> 00:17:20.799 done absolutely nothing with what the master 00:17:20.799 --> 00:17:24.559 had left him. He hadn't lost it, but he hadn't 00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:28.299 used it for anything. One had made some effort 00:17:28.299 --> 00:17:30.160 and done really well with what he was given. 00:17:31.380 --> 00:17:33.539 Even the other, not as well as the first, but 00:17:33.539 --> 00:17:35.839 he had made some effort and done something with 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:38.039 what the master had given him. But there was 00:17:38.039 --> 00:17:41.140 one servant who had done nothing with what the 00:17:41.140 --> 00:17:46.200 master had left for him. And the master was not 00:17:46.200 --> 00:17:50.480 pleased with this servant. The master said, at 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:51.599 the very least, you could have put it in the 00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:54.500 bank. You got a little interest off of it. You 00:17:54.500 --> 00:17:56.880 could have got something. But instead, what I 00:17:56.880 --> 00:17:59.660 left you with, you gave me nothing. I've returned. 00:17:59.980 --> 00:18:02.920 I've returned with all authority, and you have 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:08.359 done nothing for me. Now, we don't see it in 00:18:08.359 --> 00:18:12.299 the Luke chapter 19 passage, but in Matthew 22, 00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:17.029 very similar passage. It says to take this one, 00:18:17.190 --> 00:18:21.670 this good for nothing servant, and cast him into 00:18:21.670 --> 00:18:24.750 the outer darkness where there will be weeping 00:18:24.750 --> 00:18:31.109 and gnashing of teeth. Now this parable, no doubt, 00:18:31.210 --> 00:18:35.529 was about Jesus Christ. One who would one day 00:18:35.529 --> 00:18:41.589 be given all authority. The one who had given 00:18:41.589 --> 00:18:44.480 authority to his servants. The one who had given 00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:47.160 responsibility to his servants were expected 00:18:47.160 --> 00:18:49.920 to do something with what they had been given 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:52.500 so that when the one with all authority returned, 00:18:52.920 --> 00:18:55.960 he could rejoice with them. So that he could 00:18:55.960 --> 00:18:59.099 say to them, well done, my good and faithful 00:18:59.099 --> 00:19:03.740 servant. And to some of them, he was able to 00:19:03.740 --> 00:19:10.140 say those words. But to some, he was not. And 00:19:10.140 --> 00:19:12.599 here Jesus uses the same language in Matthew 00:19:12.599 --> 00:19:20.599 28. He was the one who went away to a faraway 00:19:20.599 --> 00:19:24.619 land, so to speak. He was the one who was placed 00:19:24.619 --> 00:19:28.059 in a tomb. He was the one who gave his life. 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:31.759 He was the one that God raised from the dead. 00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:35.960 And it is in Jesus Christ that all authority 00:19:35.960 --> 00:19:41.539 rests today. So Jesus tells his disciples before 00:19:41.539 --> 00:19:45.279 he ascends to heaven, all authority in heaven 00:19:45.279 --> 00:19:49.480 and on earth has been given to me. And the next 00:19:49.480 --> 00:19:54.960 words he utters are, therefore, go. Therefore, 00:19:55.140 --> 00:20:02.000 go. The one who has all authority has called 00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:06.160 us in the same way as he has called his apostles. 00:20:07.500 --> 00:20:10.180 He has called us to do the work. He has equipped 00:20:10.180 --> 00:20:13.279 us to do the work. He has blessed us to do the 00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:17.920 work. And one day we're going to stand before 00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:23.380 the one who has all authority. And what will 00:20:23.380 --> 00:20:27.759 he say to you and I? Will he be able to say to 00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:34.220 us, well done my good and faithful servant? Or 00:20:34.220 --> 00:20:39.640 will he say to us, Away with this one. May be 00:20:39.640 --> 00:20:43.200 cast into the outer darkness where there will 00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:50.960 be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus has the 00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:56.839 authority to save your soul. Jesus has the authority 00:20:56.839 --> 00:21:02.579 to forgive your sins today. Will you submit to 00:21:02.579 --> 00:21:07.380 that authority? There are lots of people that 00:21:07.380 --> 00:21:10.420 are authorities in this world. There are a lot 00:21:10.420 --> 00:21:13.099 of people who hold a little bit of authority. 00:21:14.240 --> 00:21:20.660 And sometimes it goes to their head. The ultimate 00:21:20.660 --> 00:21:24.619 authority, the ultimate example is Jesus Christ 00:21:24.619 --> 00:21:30.299 and the love that he has shown for us. Will you 00:21:30.299 --> 00:21:34.140 accept his authority today? Will you submit? 00:21:34.829 --> 00:21:37.630 To him today. Is he the authority in your life 00:21:37.630 --> 00:21:41.650 today? Is he the one you submit to? Is he your 00:21:41.650 --> 00:21:46.549 master? The one we submit to. The one who is 00:21:46.549 --> 00:21:48.950 our master. That's the authority in our life. 00:21:48.990 --> 00:21:51.470 Who is that for you? Or what is that for you? 00:21:53.569 --> 00:21:59.390 What or who is dictating your life today? Is 00:21:59.390 --> 00:22:04.039 it Jesus Christ? If it's not, you're submitting 00:22:04.039 --> 00:22:09.619 to the wrong authority. Let us pray. God, we 00:22:09.619 --> 00:22:11.359 come to you today. We thank you for your good 00:22:11.359 --> 00:22:15.160 word. We thank you for Jesus Christ for being 00:22:15.160 --> 00:22:21.200 a better authority to us, God. We thank you for 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:24.759 your grace and for your mercy. We thank you that 00:22:24.759 --> 00:22:28.019 Jesus came and he came with that grace and mercy 00:22:28.019 --> 00:22:33.029 and love and gentleness and compassion. And I 00:22:33.029 --> 00:22:35.089 pray, dear Lord, that if there are some in this 00:22:35.089 --> 00:22:37.750 room today that do not know Jesus Christ, that 00:22:37.750 --> 00:22:41.130 through your words, through the truth of the 00:22:41.130 --> 00:22:45.410 gospel of Jesus Christ, that today that they 00:22:45.410 --> 00:22:49.410 would humble themselves before him. That today 00:22:49.410 --> 00:22:51.230 maybe there are some in this room or some listening 00:22:51.230 --> 00:22:56.230 online that know that their life is not in a 00:22:56.230 --> 00:22:58.670 good place and they are searching and they are 00:22:58.670 --> 00:23:02.220 seeking and they are struggling. I pray, God, 00:23:02.279 --> 00:23:04.019 today that they would know that Jesus Christ 00:23:04.019 --> 00:23:07.599 is their only hope, their only strength. And 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:10.720 I pray that through faith they would humbly submit 00:23:10.720 --> 00:23:14.220 themselves and seek Him today. That they would 00:23:14.220 --> 00:23:16.819 seek Him for forgiveness of their sins, God. 00:23:16.940 --> 00:23:22.140 That they would seek Him for strength. God, that 00:23:22.140 --> 00:23:23.940 they would experience and feel the compassion 00:23:23.940 --> 00:23:31.000 of Jesus Christ today. God, maybe... Maybe today 00:23:31.000 --> 00:23:33.700 the authority that we are submitting to in our 00:23:33.700 --> 00:23:37.559 life is, it's just not you if we're honest, God. 00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:40.819 Maybe there are other things that have become 00:23:40.819 --> 00:23:45.460 our master, other things that have become our 00:23:45.460 --> 00:23:50.059 motivation, dear Lord. But God, I pray today 00:23:50.059 --> 00:23:55.059 that we would just take a moment and repent to 00:23:55.059 --> 00:23:58.259 humble ourselves before the authority of Jesus 00:23:58.259 --> 00:24:05.730 Christ. God, we thank you for love and for mercy 00:24:05.730 --> 00:24:07.950 and grace today, and I pray that each one here 00:24:07.950 --> 00:24:11.430 would experience that love through Jesus Christ. 00:24:12.410 --> 00:24:15.809 And I ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.