The Authority Of Jesus’s Word.
I am reminded of a word that a young man made in a prayer meeting when he said:” Where would we be if it wasn’t for Paul”? When I first heard this statement, I was immediately grieved in my spirit, and lately I have been prompted to publish this word.
“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31. There is an ever-present need in our lives as disciples that, at all times, we must look and listen to the words of Jesus Christ.
There is a growing tendency among believers to build their understanding of salvation, grace, righteousness, and how they should conduct themselves almost entirely on the writings of Paul. Yet we must never forget that Jesus Christ alone is the Word made flesh.
The authority of the apostles rests upon the foundation that they were witnesses of Christ and teachers of His commands. Jesus said: “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”Matthew 28:20. Notice carefully that He did not say to teach their own revelations above His. Their mission was to carry His words to the ends of the earth. Every apostle’s message must therefore be judged by whether it agrees with what Christ Himself said.
The Apostles were mere men; they were servants and witnesses of Christ. It is important to gain the revelation in our lives as believers that their ministry was never intended to place their words above the words of the Son of God; therefore:
Jesus Christ must remain the foundation of our faith.
The Gospel must be given its right place in our lives.
And the supreme authority by which everything else is understood.
As disciples , we are to come back to the basic traits of the source of our learning, and that is to no longer have to ask What did Paul say about a certain thing? But to seriously endeavour to find out the will of the Father for our lives by going straight and direct to the Words of Jesus.
We must bring to our remembrance the words of Jesus who declared: Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25.
If we claim to follow Christ, then His words must be heard, believed, obeyed, and lived. Jesus is the Word of God who was made flesh. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”John 1:1. And: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...”John 1:14
As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ: we must understand, retain and proclaim the revelation that His teachings are therefore not merely the opinions of a religious teacher. He came from the Father and spoke the words given to Him by the Father.
Jesus said: “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.” John 12:49. It has got to be of great importance how we react to the words of Jesus Christ in our lives as disciples; we must understand that:
When Jesus speaks, we must listen.
When Jesus commands, we must obey.
When Jesus reveals the will of the Father, we must receive it.
Therefore, no apostle, teacher, denomination, theological system, or human interpretation can take the place of Christ Himself.
The Father has uttered His voice; He has placed His endorsement on the Words of Jesus. On the Mount of Transfiguration, the Father Himself testified concerning Jesus: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.”Matthew 17:5
The command is profoundly simple: As disciples we must never become so occupied with theological arguments that we lose the voice of the One whom it claims to follow. Two admonishments must confront our lives; they are as follows:
Have we become more familiar with what men have written about Christ than with what Christ Himself has said?
Have we allowed theological systems to become louder than the voice of Jesus?