Building On The Sure Foundation Of Jesus’s Word.Part 4.
Jesus Christ’s Authority Surpasses Every Teacher and Apostle.
The crowds who heard Jesus Christ were astonished, “For Jesus taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” — Matthew 7:29. Jesus Christ spoke with an authority that belonged to no other. Jesus did not merely explain the Scriptures or quote previous teachers; He spoke as the Son of Man, declaring the very words of the Father.
Jesus declared: For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. John 12:49-50. When speaking of the Authority of Jesus, we need to understand that this authority is:
● Permanent.
● Absolute.
● Unquestionable.
Herein is a vital truth: not one single apostle ever claimed equality with the words of Jesus Christ. This is very important because men tend to elevate the teachings of certain ministers. Peter declared, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” — John 6:68 . They consistently bore witness to Him rather than to themselves, presenting their teaching as testimony to what they had seen, heard, and received from the Lord. Herein are some important truths that we need to embrace in our lives: the apostles understood that their authority existed only in their submission to Christ.
In reality they were stewards of the message, not its source;
They were servants of the Word, but not its equals.
Their calling was to faithfully proclaim what Christ had entrusted to them.
They were never to replace or surpass His voice.
Their ministry continually pointed believers to Jesus Christ, the One whose words do not merely convey truth, but are truth itself. His authority remains supreme over every teacher, apostle, preacher, and disciple, for “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” — Matthew 24:35
The words of Jesus Christ are never given as words that are left to our discretion but as decrees to be obeyed. He warned: “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”— John 12:48
Every doctrine, every sermon, every belief must bow to what Jesus Christ has said; it is not how it agrees with our traditions or even our understanding. Jesus declared to the religious scholars: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” — John 5:39
● The Old Testament foretells Jesus.
● The Gospels reveal Jesus.
● The Epistles explain Jesus.
● Revelation exalts Jesus.
Without Jesus Christ, the Scriptures lose their light and purpose. The entire Word of God revolves around the Son of God, and His words interpret all others. Jesus Himself gave the test of all wisdom and teaching: “Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” —Matthew 7:24. If
We must gain the revelation that the sayings of Jesus Christ are the rock, and all other voices are the sand. The prophets and apostles are stones in the structure, but Jesus Christ is both the cornerstone and the plumb line.
Herein is a vital truth that we must fully understand: every thought, tradition, and interpretation must align itself with Him or crumble under the weight of truth. Jesus Christ is not one voice among many; He is the Voice. Jesus Christ is not one revelation in a chain of revelations; He is the Revelation. His words are not commentary on truth; they are the truth by which every commentary must be judged.
The prophets prepared the path, the apostles proclaimed the message, but Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the message. As Peter said: “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” —John 6:68